King Rat: Our Kingdom
by EzraTheBlue
Summary: Sequel to King Rat and No Mercy. The journey is over, the heroes return home, but adventures never really end. Sanzo and Gojyo have a family waiting for them, but there may be a few more obstacles between them and happily ever after. Slash, Mpreg. Rated for eventual mature content and language. Read and review!
1. Introduction and Hey Ho!

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author's Notes:**Here we are again, friends. Hopefully, you know where we are. Unfortunately, if you're just walking in, you should know that this is a sequel to both King Rat and King Rat: No Mercy. If you have not read those stories, then you are shortly going to be lost, because you'll have no idea how our heroes ended up with two kids. But fear not; the stories are on this very account! I know none of you want homework just to read this particular story, but I promise, it'll be worth it.

Speaking of homework, I've been doing mine. (Who would think I'd have to research blue cohosh, geography, Chinese funeral rites, and floriography in the same night?) As the story explicitly involves our heroes returning to Chang'an, I've had to find out what the city was like. Chang'an, at the time of the original Journey to the West, was the Chinese capital. It was the biggest city in China. However, as the actual time period in which Saiyuki takes place is at best anachronistic and at worst completely buggered- seriously, Jeeps and Smith & Wessons in medieval China?- I've decided to take a few liberties with the city itself: rather than the giant city at its height, I've decided to phrase it as a much smaller city. Hopefully, this isn't terribly off-putting for anyone.

This story will have the occasional "suggested track," or music that goes with the scene. Just something to listen to while reading. You can look them up in your preferred music program, pull it up on Youtube, or ignore it. Your call there.

Finally, I have decided to pick up the story directly after the defeat of Gyuumaoh. However, as the original manga has not gotten there yet, nobody knows how it ends. So, rather than trying to fill it in, I'm going to kind of play it by ear and pick up right after they've struck the final blow and it's time to go home.

With that said!

**Disclaimer: **The characters and original scenario of Gensomaden Saiyuki belong to Kazuya Minekura, may she forgive me my transgressions. I do not profit from their use. All original characters and this scenario belong to me, and I will cut you if you copy them. (Not that I think any of you would do that, but gotta cover my bases.) Please support the author's official work.

* * *

**Introduction:** **We All Get What We Want**

_What is it you most want?_

What do I want?

_The Demon King has been vanquished. Your journey is over. Your reward awaits, if you wish to accept it._

Reward? You mean you will offer me enlightenment without my finding it.

_You have enlightened the world, Genjo Sanzo. What greater reward can the Gods offer?_

I would like to return home.

_To remain in the lower world?_

Yes. There is someone waiting for me here.

_And what if they do not choose to remain?_

Obviously, you don't know my companions.

* * *

Enlightenment? Me? No, surely you jest. Have you seen the tally of my karma? I don't think I have earned it yet, this small favor notwithstanding. No, I'd rather return home. There is someone waiting for me there.

* * *

Fuck no! What the hell are you even talkin' about?! Goin' to Heaven- fuck that shit, I got kids! Ain't you seen 'em? They're beautiful! Why would I trade them off for boredom? I'm going home. I'll walk back to China if I have to, I'm going to go to my kids. They're waiting for me.

* * *

Return to Heaven? Why would I want that? I have friends here and stuff-

_Goku?_

… Nataku?

* * *

"Ugh, my fucking head." Gojyo was the first to speak. He opened his eyes, blinking, into the sunlight. He only vaguely recognized his surroundings. The last thing he could remember was the depths of a dark temple, surrounded by demons and foul magic. Now, they were near the edge of a forest, in the Jeep, seatbelts off. He looked at his companions. Hakkai was rubbing his eyes, Sanzo's head was tilted back and he was staring upwards, dumb. Goku's head was slumped onto his chest, his body slouched and limp. "So, how do you guys feel?"

"I hurt all over," Sanzo muttered. "You?"

"Sore, but alive. I don't even remember what happened." Gojyo brushed a cold sweat from his brow. "Hakkai?"

"Just fine here," Hakkai reported, a smile returning to his cheeks. "I'm just happy we're alive."

"How about you, Goku?" Gojyo turned to the boy and shook his shoulder. Goku didn't respond; he fell against the side of the car. "Shit- is he-" He put his hand under Goku's nose. "He's breathing!" Gojyo sighed with relief and pulled Goku upright again. Hakkai got out of the car and came around to examine Goku a bit closer. Sanzo turned around; his body was shaking, Gojyo was certain he didn't have the strength to do more.

"He seems to be sleeping, and soundly." Hakkai checked Goku's teeth and gums and pulled one eyelid open. He checked his pulse. "His heartbeat is even, his pupils are dilated, his blood flow is normal. He's in a very deep sleep. It may be unnatural, or supernatural."

"What, for real?" Gojyo frowned. "You think this is some sort of side effect of dealing with Gyuumaoh, or-"

"What's that?" Sanzo pointed to a small scroll of paper clasped in Goku's hand. Hakkai pulled it out and unfurled it. He glanced between the other two, and looked down at it.

"Hey guys," he read aloud, squinting to make out the terrible scrawl. "So, I don't know if this happened to you, but when that big white light explosion thingy happened after we killed the Ox guy, I heard this voice. Turns out, it's someone I knew back before I got down here. I decided to go up there for a little while and find out what happened before and learn what I could. I'm guessing you guys aren't going to come with me, but that's okay. I promise I'll only be gone a little while. Kanzeon Bosatsu said to just leave me somewhere quiet and not to mess with me too much and I'll be okay. See you guys soon."

"His diadem- where the hell is his diadem?!" Gojyo urgently pointed out. Hakkai only noticed then that Goku's golden diadem was indeed gone.

"I know it cracked when he was fighting Kougaiji, but-" Hakkai sighed. Sanzo slumped down in his seat.

"He won't need it anymore." He murmured, sounding oddly relieved. "That side of him- it may not be an uncontrollable monster anymore."

"Hey, that's kind of awesome!" Gojyo grinned. "And hey, if he does have a friend up there, that's nice for him. Well, now what?"

There was a moment of silence.

"We were successful in our mission," Hakkai deduced, as he walked back around front of the Jeep. "I suppose... our journey is over."

"Yes. It is," Sanzo agreed.

"I... I guess that means... we go home," Gojyo concluded.

They were silent as this sank in.

"YES!" Gojyo launched himself upright, pumping his fists into the air. "We're going home! We can go home! Hakkai- where the hell are we?!" He leaned towards him. "Where are we, how far are we from home- fuck, what day is it?"

"I'm not entirely sure," Hakkai chuckled. "Why is the day important?"

"Because I'm gonna get my boys back! I'm going to see my sons again! And when we get home, we're going to see them again- but they've got to come back on October 14th."

"The day they were taken to Heaven, three days after they were born," Hakkai murmured, then smiled. "Well, why don't we find the nearest town and ask where we are and which way it is to Chang'an?"

"Hell yeah!" Gojyo cheered, and Hakkai chuckled as he took out the compass.

"I'm not sure which direction the nearest town is, but I say we head East."

"Hey." Gojyo looked at Sanzo, who had sat up again and turned around to face him. "Those are our sons."

"R-right." Gojyo grinned nervously. "Our sons."

"Hey." Sanzo leaned closer to him, lowering his volume.

"Yes?" Gojyo leaned in to hear him. Sanzo stared him in the eyes, and suddenly leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. Gojyo gaped. "S-Sanzo-"

"No," Sanzo murmured. Gojyo felt his whole body shiver.

"... Kouryuu." He grinned. Sanzo nodded.

"We'll figure out how to make this work when we get there. But we are going to make this work."

"Damn right!" Gojyo grinned.

"My, my." Hakkai giggled enthusiastically. Gojyo jerked back- he'd forgotten Hakkai was there. Sanzo turned back around, glaring out the window.

"I'm going to take a nap now," he muttered. Gojyo sat back in his seat as well. Hakkai got in and started the car. Gojyo gently shoved Goku's form over towards the side of the Jeep and stretched out.

"Man, it's gonna be awesome when we get home," he chuckled to himself. "Wonder how long it'll take us to get there."

"We were on the road for almost three years, but we did have quite a few delays," Hakkai mused as he drove down a hill. "Still, this looks familiar."

"I dunno, we would kind of be going in the opposite direction, so it shouldn't."

"I'm certain I've been here before," Hakkai replied with a shrug. They drove on further, turning to a road overlooking a valley."I'm sure of it. It looks familiar."

"It is familiar," Sanzo muttered. He shot upright, and Hakkai stopped the Jeep near the edge of the hill. He jumped from the car, weary legs and worn body shaking, and Hakkai and Gojyo followed. Sanzo sighed with what sounded like relief as he surveyed the view over the hill to the valley below. "This..."

"It's home." Gojyo grinned. Below them, they saw the city of Chang'an- the city and its narrow streets, the temple atop a hill, the cottages and fields, the place they had called home for at least the few months before they'd left.

"Well! That was easy!" Hakkai smiled eagerly.

"Thank you," Sanzo murmured under his breath, folding his hands together as though in prayer. "Thank you..."

"Let's get down there!" Gojyo cheered. "We have a life to live!"

And so, where the journey ended, a new adventure began...

* * *

**PART I: Rats Make Terrible Parents**

**1: Hey Ho, Let's Go!**

Unsure of what else to do with them, Hakkai and Gojyo dropped Sanzo and Goku off at the central temple in town. Hakkai helped to carry Goku inside, and Sanzo limped in on Gojyo's shoulder. The monks in the temple moved out of their way, gaping and gawking and whispering their astonishment in hushed voices. The three who could be aware of it ignored it, even as Sanzo tried to start a conversation.

"Make a list," Sanzo had muttered as Gojyo lay him down on the floor of the temple's dormitory. Most of the monks had followed them in, watching curiously as Gojyo fluffed a pillow under his head, but Gojyo ignored their curious stares.

"List?" He asked as he pulled a blanket over Sanzo's chest. Hakkai lay Goku beside the windowsill and folded his palms in his lap.

"Everything we're gonna need," he murmured. Hakkai knelt down to start healing what injuries Sanzo had remaining, but Sanzo pushed his hands off. "No, I just need to rest and heal."

"I had heard Lord Sanzo has returned!" An urgent voice shouted from the door. Gojyo briefly glanced up at the man who entered. The red and black of his otherwise plain-looking robe denoted him as being more than a monk; his long dark hair, braided neatly down his back, indicative of higher status. He didn't look particularly old or particularly young, perhaps a few years older than either Gojyo or Hakkai, but he had a strange, mature air about him. Gojyo felt a chill run through his system- something about the man's appearance struck a bad nerve with him. Still, the nobleman entered and leaned over Sanzo, frantically gesticulating. "High Priest Sanzo, the news has spread like wildfire- youkai everywhere are coming to their senses- How are you back from India-"

"It's a very long story," Sanzo sighed, closing his eyes. "I'm still injured. Please give me a few hours to rest and I'll explain to everyone." The nobleman looked taken aback.

"Y-yes- of course-" He turned to look around the room. "Everyone out!"

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Gojyo growled, then asked under his breath, "'Ey, Sanzo, who is this jackass?"

"I have no idea, but he looks important. Good night." Sanzo rolled over, and Gojyo got to his feet. The nobleman surveyed Gojyo and Hakkai with suspicious eyes.

"You must be Lord Sanzo's bodyguards. Erm, I am Lord Akio of the West Palace." He cleared his throat as he took them in, eyeing Gojyo suspiciously. "I suppose I ascended to this position while you were away, which is why you don't know of me; I'm the Emperor's liaison to the Shaanxi province, and I stay at this temple when I'm visiting. Can you explain anything?"

"Like he said. Long story." Gojyo tried to read Lord Akio's features, but for some reason, his stomach was turning over. "Look, we're gonna disturb him. We're leaving. He'll talk to you when he's awake." Gojyo moved for the door, but Akio held out his hand to Hakkai.

"What in the world happened?" He asked with a frown. "And what is wrong with Lord Sanzo's ward?"

"We had to fight off Gyuumaoh's forces with all our might," Hakkai explained, as Gojyo anxiously shuffled his feet and glanced at the door. "High Priest Sanzo may have received some internal injuries, but I was able to somewhat patch him up before we were spirited off homeward. When we awoke, ten kilometers from the city limits, Goku was unconscious, with a written message to leave his body be. I can only assume he's been taken to Heaven for some reason, but intends to return."

"By the gods," Akio murmured, awestruck. "Taken to Heaven."

"Now, if you please. We are weary too, and we don't sleep here," Hakkai added with a coy smile. "Come along." He took hold of Gojyo's sleeve, and left the lord and the monks there.

In the car again, Gojyo stared out the window as Hakkai started the car again. "My, my, I don't think I ever met the previous Lord of this region. He must be traveling about in an effort to quell any issues that remain between the youkai and humans. You didn't seem to like him, though."

"Gonna need two of everything," Gojyo muttered.

"Beg pardon?"

"Two of everything. Sanzo said to make a list." Gojyo grinned. Hakkai glanced at him curiously, then smiled in return.

"Well, perhaps one cradle. They'll prefer to sleep together."

"We need clothes. Uh. What do babies wear, anyway? Diapers, yeah, but-"

"Pajamas, mostly. They get cold so easily. We'll need warm socks and lots of hats."

"And we need bottles, and formula. We're gonna need a mountain of that shit!" Gojyo leaned back in his seat, gazing happily heavenward.

"Oh, but there's more to consider. Our little house will have to be child-proof. Blocks on the windows, locks on the lower cabinets- anything hazardous will have to be secured. Sooner than we can imagine, they'll be crawling about and getting into everything they can."

Hakkai and Gojyo talked the entire ride out of the city into the suburbs, listing everything they thought they might even remotely need for the children. "... A mobile. One of them cute things for them to look at," Gojyo added as they turned onto their street.

"Yes, I'd like to decorate whatever room we make into a nursery with bright colors so their little minds will be interested. We'll need paint." Hakkai paused as he pulled the car to a stop near the house. "Hm. White, for starters. Our house was white, wasn't it? And we're going to need new windows..."

"Eh?" Gojyo looked at the house, and gaped. "Oh, son of a bitch!" Hakkai and Gojyo jumped out to survey their vandalized house. All of the windows had been smashed in, the door kicked in. The outside walls had been coated with graffiti, unrepeatable swearwords and slurs directed at them.

"Murderers," Hakkai read with a small sigh. "I suppose the local youkai have been displeased with our actions."

"We can't afford any of this," Gojyo moaned, covering his head. "I bet there ain't a damn thing of value left inside. Not to mention three years worth of rain damage!"

"Calm down, it's not so bad," Hakkai reassured him and patted his shoulder. "Look." He approached the stoop and picked up an envelope. "It seems that at least a few of our neighbors left donations so we could rebuild. There will probably be more in the next few weeks."

"It ain't gonna be enough. How can we fix our whole house and set up for the kids on our budget?"

"We'll do as we did before." Hakkai smiled. "I'll take some bounty hunting jobs. You-"

"I ain't gonna gamble," Gojyo muttered. "I usually lose more than I win, and my record's gotten worse over the years. I'll go with you, as much as I can. I know I can't keep going once the boys come home, but as long as I can, I will."

"And then?"

"I'll figure something out. Shit," Gojyo groaned. "Who knew the hard part would be coming home?"

"Well, you know what they say. You can never come home again."

"Why's that?"

"Because it'll never be the same twice." Hakkai smiled wisely, and Gojyo finally broke a grin as well.

"Well, let's go. We better get started now."

* * *

Six months after they arrived home, Sanzo had realized just how much and how little had changed. In spite of his new "heroic" status, most of which he was fortunately protected from by his solitude in the temple, he was still not forced into reading sutras, nor leading prayers or directing temple business. After his recovery, he briefly got in touch with Hakkai, who informed them about their living situation and explained that he and Gojyo were back to work immediately. Sanzo tried to arrange for some charity through the monks, and while very little came back, Hakkai passed on the word that both were grateful. He had seen Gojyo only a few times in the six months since their return, and they had precious little time to talk and none of it in private.

"There's been a shitload of crime between the youkai and humans, goin' both ways," Gojyo had explained in a mutter as the two took in a cigarette together three months after their return. "Humans are pissed about everything the youkai did while they were berserk, and now they're peaceful again, the humans've all nutted up and decided to take revenge. Youkai, who are trying to rebuild their lives, are retaliating because they weren't responsible for what they did and they resent taking the blame for it. Doubt you've heard about it up on your hill here-"

"I have no influence over them. They would not listen even if I were to protest, on either side," Sanzo groused, turning away from Gojyo's accusing glower. Gojyo snorted and sucked in a smoke ring.

"Either way, me an' Hakkai have been turning 'em in both ways for the bounties. Biggest one out there, though, might be of interest." He yanked a crumpled bounty listing with a blurry photograph of a familiar youkai's face. "He was sighted near the India border two months ago."

"So, Kougaiji survived. He was as much as victim as any of them anyway." Sanzo rubbed his forehead as Gojyo stubbed his cigarette.

"We finally got the last floor replaced. If we haul in tonight's mark, we'll be starting towards buying shit for the boys."

"Here." Sanzo yanked his Three Aspects card from his pocket, but Gojyo held his wrist.

"Ain't takin' that money. It ain't mine to spend."

"But it's mine. I want it for the boys. You have not let me contribute anything." Sanzo scowled. "Are you still sleeping on the floor?"

"Kou, we were given that for the mission. Mission's over. What if they take it back and make you pay them back?"

"Stubborn ass- take it!" Sanzo shoved it at him again, but Gojyo dodged back, grinning.

"Kiss me and I'll buy Eiji a pair of socks on it."

"Blanket."

"Socks and a hat."

"Blanket," Sanzo reiterated fiercely, and Gojyo snickered into his hand.

"Fine. Blanket." Gojyo turned his cheek, and Sanzo brushed his lips against it briefly, before pulling back and adding:

"One for you, too. You're looking pale, and I can tell you haven't been sleeping."

"That wasn't part of the deal!" Gojyo protested, but Sanzo pressed one finger to his lips.

"I'll give you an even better reward next time."

"I'm down." Gojyo smirked and pocketed the card.

Sanzo couldn't help but be disappointed that the next time he'd seen Hakkai, the card was in his pocket with a note from Gojyo thanking him for its use. He'd been assured in a discreet whisper that the nursery was coming along well, and that money was coming easier than ever. This was no reassurance to Hakkai, however:

"Gojyo knows he may not be able to work for a few months after the boys return, so he is making efforts to save while he can. He has cut back on cigarettes, though this is not entirely his doing." Hakkai smiled wryly. "I am certain the boys will appreciate if he smokes outside of the house, so I am making some efforts to prepare him to wait between nicotine doses." It was only now Sanzo noticed the bite marks on Hakkai's arm. Hakkai followed his gaze. "Yes, it's going exactly as well as you'd expect."

He had only seen Gojyo once since then, and it was in passing. He had been on a walk through the temple's gardens, and spotted the two over the fence leaving a store on the street with paper bags filled with groceries. He strolled a bit closer to the fence and watched them load the bags into the back seat. Gojyo turned towards him and waved, bearing a big, childish grin, and he turned away, feeling his cheeks flush. When he looked back again, they were gone. He felt a twinge of guilt, but he couldn't bring himself to do any more than that. And yet, guilt roiled him.

'How many times,' he wondered to himself, 'did I wish for time alone? And now that I am finally alone, I am not content but bored.' He glanced across his writing desk, which he'd brought into his private dormitory for the expressed purpose of keeping himself entertained, and perused the vague scribblings of his attempt to recall the journey on paper. It was going poorly, and he'd turned more wasted paper into origami than he could count. He also had spent more time than he could enumerate gazing at a wrinkled old photograph that he'd kept in his pants pocket for nearly two years, but even that made him feel only more lonesome. Unable to see his companions, he now had all the time one could ask for to read the newspaper and take care of what business he had, but it felt hollow. He was sure he knew why, as well. He turned around to the window behind him, to Goku's still form laid out on the sill. Hakkai and Gojyo were away, living their lives, but Goku had not stirred once in six months.

Nothing. There was nothing to indicate he was any less than a very realistic doll. His chest rose and fell minute to minute oh-so-slightly, but his eyes were closed, his mouth was closed, and he made absolutely no noise. Though he was unobtrusive, almost a non-presence, Sanzo found his eyes often drifting back towards him as he tried to work on his travel journal. He watched him breathe, each gradual inhale and exhale in measured succession, then crossed the room to study his face. His hair had grown, and though he now had some of the Seiten Taisei's sharper features, Sanzo could still imagine his boyish smile on his round cheeks. He sat beside Goku, his shoulder beside his head.

"I never thought I would miss the sound of your voice," he murmured. Goku did not respond; he couldn't, after all, he wasn't there, Sanzo reasoned. Still, he spoke to him. "You may have been a fly buzzing in my ear, but the silence without you is deafening. Tomorrow is the day, you know. October 14th." He paused, realizing how refreshing it was to speak his thoughts. "Your little cousins should return. Can you believe two years have passed? I hope you can join us. I'm certain Hakkai will arrange for some cake of some variety. I... I hope I am able to join them, too." He smoothed back Goku's hair from his forehead. "I don't know how I'm going to make this work. I feel compelled to remain here, but I wish to be elsewhere. Your instincts would drive me the right direction, I trust that." He considered Goku briefly. "Hmph. Imagine that." He got to his feet and left in search of some other activity, not even noticing that Goku's chest had begun to rise and fall a little faster.

* * *

Gojyo lay back on the mat-covered floor of what used to be his bedroom in his and Hakkai's cottage, took a deep, calming breath, and sighed contently. It was no longer his bedroom, and he couldn't be happier. It was painted bright, pale blue now, with lemon-yellow stripes on the wall with the window; any and all magazines that had not been damaged by the rain that had poured in his previously-broken window had been discarded, and all of his fold-out pinups were gone; his bed had been moved away from the window to the corner, with a sturdy crib in its place. Gojyo had selected a purple blanket and paid for it on Sanzo's card, though he still considered exchanging it for something more boyish. Hakkai had painted some large, smiling bumblebees on one wall (to Gojyo's objection, as "Those motherfuckers sting, I don't want the kids thinking they're friendly.") The other wall had a dresser with baby clothes loaded in one half and Gojyo's things in the other. The top of the dresser was cleared and lined with a rubber mat as a changing table. Beside the dresser were crates of baby supplies, loaded with diapers and bottles. It may not have looked like much, but the work that couldn't be seen was much more.

They had replaced every single floor in the house, every window; they'd replastered every wall. Every hole in the roof had been patched. All furniture and appliances left in the house had been refurbished if possible and replaced as necessary, from their stove to Hakkai's futon in the living room. This had taken six solid months of work nearly day and night, day in and day out, out searching for marks and in tearing up floorboards and molding carpet. Gojyo had slept on the floor for four of those months, what little he had slept. And yet, he was on the floor again now, staring at the ceiling with a wide grin on his face. Hakkai peered in from the hallway to the main room, wiping his brow and accidentally smearing paint in his hair in the same motion.

"Are you alright?" He asked with a knowing smile.

"I'm finished." Gojyo closed his eyes, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm so happy I could puke."

"I wouldn't if I were you."

"Hey, that's why I got the cheap tatami mats. The boys can do whatever the hell they want on them 'til they know better, and then I'll get some nice flooring." Gojyo smirked proudly. "But it's done. We're finally ready. And tomorrow, I'm gonna be a dad again."

"Let's just hope it's nothing like the first time." Hakkai leaned against the wall with a sly gleam in his eye, and Gojyo laughed.

"What, you mean screaming and bleeding? Yeah, I could do without that." He folded his hands under his head.

"So, I suppose you'll want to hit the sack early tonight, as you won't be sleeping very much for the next eighteen-plus years or so."

"Pfft! Are you kidding?!" Gojyo rolled up to a sit and jumped to his feet. "How can I sleep when my kids are on their way! Hell, I don't even know where they're coming from or who's gonna bring 'em! I better get out there and start looking now!"

"Right now?" Hakkai frowned.

"Hell yeah!" Gojyo grinned. "It's almost tomorrow anyway. I'll walk this whole city 'til I find 'em!" He brushed past Hakkai, half-stumbling to the front door in his eagerness. "You can come if you want!"

"Oh, no, I think I'll come find you tomorrow morning. You'll probably need a ride home." Hakkai giggled and went back to work cleaning the living area.

"Sure, whatever." Gojyo yanked his boots on. "Dad's on his way, guys!" He threw the door open and rushed out into the night, headlong towards happiness.

* * *

**(Suggested Track: "Ho Hey," by The Lumineers)**

Sanzo was aware that there was someone else in his dormitory when his mind emerged from the fog of sleep, and he was also aware that they were very close to him. Very, very close to him. He reached for his gun and slid back out of his mat, pointing it at the spot just above where his head had been. He froze, thumb still on the hammer as he stared at Goku, who was knelt over where he'd been sleeping.

"Goku." He put his gun down. Goku slowly lifted his head to stare at Sanzo again, golden, catlike eyes glinting in the near-dawn morning light. Incredulous, Sanzo pinched his upper arm. It stung, and he was certain it was no dream. He couldn't think of anything to say to him, but it seemed it wasn't necessary as Goku held his hand out. Sanzo flinched and grabbed at his gun again, but Goku quickly slapped it from his grip and held his hand out again, shaking his palm insistently. "You are not trying to attack me. You... want me to take your hand." He scowled, but Goku snapped his arm forward and grabbed Sanzo's wrist. "Let go!" He snapped, but Goku yanked Sanzo to a stand and began to pull him out of his bedroom and out through the temple yard.

"Lord Sanzo?" Sanzo heard Lord Akio from the temple's main sanctuary, and turned to him. Lord Akio was already fully dressed and holding a rosary. "The boy- he's alive?!"

"I'm certain I told you as much," Sanzo murmured, trying to dig his heels in as Goku continued to drag. "Unfortunately, it seems he wants me elsewhere, and he's in no mood for persuasion to the contrary."

"That beast- let him go!" Akio rushed forward, pulling a small knife from his sash, but Sanzo stayed his wrist.

"No, I trust him. If I had to guess, I'd say he's being directed by a higher power." Sanzo glanced at Goku, who had stopped walking and instead started tugging on his sleeve. "Let him do what he must, I can take care of myself."

"But Lord Sanzo-" Akio tried to protest, but Sanzo began to walk alongside Goku, letting him lead. Akio watched him go mutely, and reentered the sanctuary, offering only, "May the Gods forgive him, whatever that beast may lead him to do."

Goku led Sanzo into the still-waking town, down the main street lined with storefronts, turning down a few small side streets and out into a market. Sanzo was certain it was far too early for any of them to be open, but he saw that one stand was already loaded with bright red apples, and a merchant with his or her face obscured by a scarf waited behind the table. Goku led him directly to the stand, and pointed. Sanzo stared between the apples, the merchant, and Goku. He nudged Goku and glowered expectantly at him.

"Two, please," Goku finally said. The merchant smiled- Sanzo could see her smooth, plump lips- and knelt below the counter. Sanzo peered over as Goku released his wrist, but the merchant was gone. Instead, he saw a basket covered with a towel. He vaulted the table and shifted the towel to find the two naked infants curled within.

"Two, please, indeed," Sanzo muttered, and he took the basket up. Goku chuckled from the other side of the table, and Sanzo briefly glared at him before examining the children. He didn't need to. He recognized Yohei's thin blonde hair, his slender nose. He recognized Eiji's bright red curls and wide eyes. He couldn't help feel relief when he spotted a worn bandanna around Yohei's waist. "So, you're here. Welcome back." Eiji gazed up at him, blinking slowly, and Sanzo noticed his fist was closed. He gently tucked his index finger into it, and discovered something inside. Eiji opened his hand, and revealed the bullet inside. "You kept this too? I don't need it anymore, you know." He carefully walked back around the stand to rejoin Goku. "I suppose I should thank you."

"Eh? For what?" Goku snapped to attention and glanced around in confusion. "Did I do something?"

"Did you ask Kanzeon Bosatsu to meet us here?"

"Kan-who?" Goku frowned, then noticed the basket and gasped with glee. "Lookit the babies!"

"Isn't that High Priest Sanzo?" Sanzo tore his gaze from the babies to see that a few street sweepers and a housewife had gathered at the entrance to the market. Sanzo quickly pursed his lips.

"I found these infants. Does anyone know who might have lost them?"

"Doesn't matter!" Goku declared proudly. "Finders, keepers! They're ours now!"

"I don't remember seeing anyone come past here," one of the street sweepers offered.

"Fine. If anyone has lost a set of twins, tell them what he said." Sanzo nodded towards Goku, then made his way out of the market. Goku glanced back once, to the completely empty stalls now only haunted by the faintest scent of flowers and apples, then jogged alongside Sanzo.

"So, where's Daddy?" He asked. Sanzo shrugged, but only a moment later, his question was answered:

"Oi, Sanzo!" Sanzo turned when he heard Gojyo call from down the road. Gojyo, still dressed in his paint-stained work clothes, rushed towards him. He stopped half a meter away from him, hands on his knees as he caught his breath, then looked up with a grin. "I... I searched all night! And you found 'em!"

"I did," Sanzo affirmed. "Let's return to the temple."

"W-wait- you can't raise 'em there. That wouldn't be fair to them! You can't just make 'em monks-" Sanzo seemed to ignore him and walked past. Gojyo groaned. "You jackass, wait for me!" He followed Sanzo and Goku back up the hill towards the temple.

Sanzo, Goku, and Gojyo were greeted by several of the monks, who were loitering outside of the main sanctuary under a gingko tree, with Lord Akio at their center.

"-There he is now!" Akio promptly approached Sanzo. "Priest Sanzo, where did you-" he noticed the basket tucked under Sanzo's arm. "Where... did you find that baby?"

"There are two here, if you'll notice. Goku led me to them." He looked down at the children as well, and gently smoothed Eiji's hair back from his face. "It seems that the Goddess has sent me two in need."

"Aren't they cute?" Goku interjected happily.

"Who would abandon such a handsome boy?" Akio wondered, frowning at Yohei. Gojyo clenched his fists, then stuffed them in his pockets.

"They both called out for help, they shall both receive it. However, my companion has brought to my attention that it would be unfair to keep them here, as that would limit their options in life." He promptly held the basket out to Gojyo. "Since it was your idea, you take them."

"E-eh?!" Gojyo instinctively jumped back, until he remembered that he wanted them. But he did realize what Sanzo was doing: making a cover story. He quickly began to play along. "Fine, whatever. We have the space. But you better come h-"

"As they were sent to me, they are my responsibility, and I will assist you as much as I can." He turned back towards the others. "You will have to forgive me, as I may have to split my time between here and there." Gojyo recognized the serene look his his eyes, and spotted the brief flicker of a smile on his face. "After all, I am now their father." Gojyo took the basket from him.

"Fine, let's get going."

"I came back here for a reason," Sanzo chided. "I was interrupted. Wait here." He pivoted on his heel and walked towards the dormitory, and Gojyo took the opportunity to examine the babies. He counted each finger and toe, traced their lips and noses. Akio, however, found it more opportune to examine him.

"Why on earth would Lord Sanzo trust the likes of you with a human infant?"

"My roommate's good with kids," Gojyo muttered. He didn't like the way Akio was staring at him. He glared up at him, and added, "And after three years on the road together, if he didn't trust me, he couldn't trust anyone. 'Sides, sounds better than leaving either kid with an asshole like you."

"How dare you, you impudent-" Akio moved towards Gojyo, but Goku jumped in front of him.

"Hey, don't hurt him, he's holding babies!" Goku glanced over his shoulder. "Gojyo, he looks important, try and be nice!" He quickly insisted, and Gojyo scoffed.

"Whatever. I don't like Kings or Lords or whatever." He turned away. "Especially those who don't like hanyou."

"Forgive me if your race is less than trustworthy; after all, half of your blood is tainted. As is half of that child's." Akio scowled at him. "Whether or not Lord Sanzo trusts you does not affect that your race is counted among demons. Your scourge does not belong among humans!" The monks near Akio looked away uncomfortably, until one of the younger monks timidly suggested:

"The youkai never meant to do any wrong. And the hanyou never did anything."

"One drop of youkai blood is as good as guilty," Akio grumbled, glowering at the monk. The young man inched back, as the monks around him tried to shield him from Akio's wrath-filled glare. Sanzo returned, now with his sutra around his shoulders.

"Shall we? I think I see our ride coming down the road." Sanzo nodded towards the main street at the bottom of the hill, and Goku and Gojyo followed him down the path, all the while casting eyes over their shoulders. Gojyo stuck his tongue out at Akio as the lord and the monks vanished from view.

"Man, that is the second time I've met that guy, and he just rubs me the wrong way." Gojyo muttered.

"Oh, Lord Akio? He seems to be at the temple frequently, but I have not spoken to him very much." Sanzo shrugged. "It seems he's a representative of the Emperor. I'm not interested in government."

"I don't like him. He was insulting Eiji." Gojyo protectively tucked the towel down over Eiji and Yohei's shoulders. Yohei was still soundly asleep, and Eiji was squinting at the rising sun.

"Was he?" Sanzo frowned. "I see. He's one of those. Let him be, then; we have no reason to associate with him."

"I hope you're right," Gojyo muttered as they reached the bottom of the path. Hakkai pulled Hakuryu to a stop only a few meters away.

"My my, it seems the gang's all here." Hakkai beamed.

"Good timing." Gojyo grinned at him. "It's like you know these things."

"Everyone in the Jeep!" Goku cheered, and pounced on the front seat. Hakkai looked him over.

"You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

"Me? Why would I change?" Goku cocked his head, his longer hair drifting across his shoulders. Hakkai laughed.

"Oh, no reason. And how are the children?"

"You tell me." Gojyo put the basket on Goku's lap as he vaulted his way into the back seat. Hakkai examined them and smiled.

"Just exactly as I remember them."

"Good." Gojyo took the basket back and held it tight as Sanzo got in the car. Hakkai put the car in motion, and Gojyo braced them against the gentle shuddering of the engine under them. Sanzo leaned his head against Gojyo's shoulder to watch them.

"I won't lie," Sanzo murmured in a low voice. "This is as content as I've been in more than six months."

"It's been like two years for me," Gojyo chuckled. "I don't think I've been really, totally happy since the last time I saw them."

"That's just because this is the way things should be. This is how things belong." Sanzo's lips touched Gojyo's cheek for the first time in what felt like ages.

"Yeah." Gojyo beamed. "Exactly like this." He kept one hand on the basket and tucked the other into Sanzo's in the middle seat. The babies seemed to ignore them, sleeping blissfully on in the glow of the rightness of the universe.

* * *

"Here we are." Hakkai parked in front of the house, and Sanzo got out first. Gojyo passed the basket before getting out himself. Goku followed them, and Hakkai opened the door to let the 'proud' parents in. Sanzo didn't even pay attention to the redecoration, even as Goku did and Hakkai began to explain to him what had happened. Gojyo and Sanzo instead proceeded to the nursery. Sanzo began to examine everything, opening each drawer as Gojyo folded the blanket in the crib back.

"Something wrong?"

"I'm learning where everything is. When I need it, I will know," Sanzo muttered. Gojyo shrugged, and lay both babies down on the changing pad.

"Man, lucky they didn't have to mess themselves or nothin' on the ride here," he remarked with a grin and broke open a box of diapers and some pins. He frowned at it. "Huh." Sanzo cocked his brow and looked over at him. "You remember how to put one'a these things on?"

"Hakkai taught me. Let me see." He opened the diaper and wrapped it around Eiji. It was on and fastened before Gojyo could even blink. "Easy."

"Gonna have to learn how you do that." Gojyo tried to imitate, very slowly opening it up and placing it under Yohei. He brought the front around and pinned the tabs in place. "There-"

"Too loose. It'll leak." Sanzo unfastened it, adjusted the pins, and refastened it. Gojyo sulked.

"I would'a figured it out."

"They're probably not hungry." Sanzo gently picked Yohei up, one hand on his bottom and one on his head, his arms cradling his body. "If they are exactly as they were when we last saw them, then they only just ate."

"That's right. Last thing we did was feed 'em." Gojyo took out a onesie and dressed Yohei, carefully fastening each snap. Sanzo switched Yohei with Eiji so Gojyo could dress him as well. "I guess they'll let us know when they're hungry again."

"Every three hours, bare minimum. Diapers, every two," Sanzo muttered. Gojyo chuckled, and Sanzo looked away. "Hakkai drilled it into me. And both numbers are void when they start to cry."

"Well, duh. They cry when they're hungry or wet."

"But also when they're lonely or bored. Like lapdogs without fur." Sanzo took another look around the nursery and started to rock Yohei against his chest. "Why are there giant wasps on the wall?"

"Honeybees. Hakkai said the stripes were 'stimulating' or some shit."

"They're terrifying," said Sanzo.

"You're kiddin', right?" Gojyo laughed. Sanzo glared at him, clearly indicating his lack of sarcasm. "Bees are jerks, but they ain't scary. Besides, I don't think they can even see it yet."

"We can adjust as we go. For now, what do we do?" Sanzo looked Yohei over, and he yawned, gummy red mouth wide open.

"They look tired to me. They were sleeping in the car, maybe they want to sleep a little while. We can play with 'em when they're awake." Gojyo carefully transferred Eiji from the mat to the crib, laying him down. Sanzo followed suit with Yohei, and Gojyo pulled the blanket over them. Yohei was asleep again as his head hit the mattress, but Eiji was still blinking up at them. Sanzo leaned close, his lips beside his ear, and Gojyo could only catch the faintest whisper of the words he was saying:

"You are my sunshine... only sunshine... happy... skies... gray..." Gojyo grinned as he saw Eiji's eyes close, and he began to hum along. Sanzo stopped singing when Eiji breathed evenly, and stood upright.

"I've started to really like that song," Gojyo chuckled. Sanzo 'harrumphed' under his breath, and turned towards Gojyo.

"You look exhausted already."

"I've been up since yesterday. Spent most of last night looking for the boys. If they're gonna sleep, I'm gonna sleep. You wanna take a nap with me?" Gojyo grinned at him, but Sanzo shook his head.

"I'd rather watch them, in case they wake. But do as you will." Gojyo shrugged, kicked his shoes off at the end of the bed, and flopped onto the mattress. He didn't fall asleep immediately, though. He could see, just under his eyelids, as Sanzo carefully took a mobile from inside his sleeve. It was made of paper origami swans and frogs, most of which was covered in scribbled-out script. He carefully hung it over the crib, glancing between the infants and the mobile as the gentle draft from the window moved the swans. He edged the crib half a meter away from the window, and finally knelt down next to the twins, watching the pair of them at rest. Gojyo didn't start to fall asleep until he heard Sanzo start humming again.

To him, this felt like a happy family should.

* * *

**End Notes: **Everyone with me now: d'awwwwww.

As I mentioned in the end notes for King Rat: No Mercy, this is going to be a story on a somewhat larger scale. While the events of King Rat were spread out over about eleven months, and the events of King Rat: No Mercy in a week, this story will be covering multiple years. In addition, this will be a story in three parts. The first part will chiefly detail the first few years of Yohei and Eiji's lives, and Gojyo's and Sanzo's still-developing relationship.

As you might have noticed, this chapter is a little longer than my usual. With this kind of story, I'm actually having trouble finding good places to stop. But because of the additional length, and the fact that I'm in school and my classes are a lot more time-consuming this semester, I will be breaking pattern and update every other week rather than every week. If this should change, I will let you know, and if school should disrupt me so much I can't finish the chapter when it's due... then I apologize in advance and will post the chapter as soon as humanly possible.

I also apologize for any grammatical errors, as I tend to have trouble focusing when I'm editing- let me know about them and I'll fix them as soon as possible!

So, what did you think? What do you want to see? What questions would you like answered? Review and let me know!

Until next time! (Also- Happy Valentine's Day!)


	2. Family is Hard

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author Notes:** I hope the two week schedule isn't getting anyone down. Hopefully the quality will make up for it. I'm also hoping the next update doesn't happen to be timed with a project due date.

Review responses!

Airenya: I couldn't help but giggle at your flip of Akio to Aiko, since Aiko is a girl's name. Knowing what I do about him, I can just imagine him being a haughty little princess. I just might have to have someone make the same mistake just for the laughs. As for Sanzo getting romantic for Gojyo, and vice-versa? Oh, I'm definitely going to do that. I already have some character arcs planned out, and we will see our heroes change with their lives, but since this isn't canon, a little sweet-n-sappy fanservice isn't out of the question, right? In fact, you've given me a GREAT idea for something way down the line. Thanks!

RodiSquall: Ooh, you've read ahead, huh? I actually have quite a lot of your ideas already in mind, but you have given me a few new ones! I will admit now, there may be a few less omakes in this story, just because it does have a more lighthearted nature to the point where the things I had in mind for the omakes are just part of the story. But I will definitely make sure to give Goku and Hakkai their focus time- I just always have trouble working Goku into the story, just because he's probably the least closely involved with this particular story thread. And don't ever worry about overwhelming me with suggestions. I'm open to anything!

Kakashii's Wifey and Dragon77: Thanks for your kind words!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but what you don't recognize from the manga.

* * *

**2: Family is Hard**

"Lord Sanzo, wherever are you going this early in the morning?" Sanzo only slowed his pace at Lord Akio's question, unwilling to stop. He spotted the lord meditating under the tree near the front gate, and sighed with exasperation.

"I'm off to visit with the foundlings, as I have been for the past week." Sanzo folded his arms impatiently. Akio clicked his tongue.

"Nothing important, then?"

"Hmph." Sanzo turned to continue on his way.

"If you're not doing anything important, I need you." Akio tucked his rosary away and got to his feet. "We're beginning youkai registration today, and I will need your influence in order to keep the resistance in line."

"Registration?" Sanzo scowled.

"Orders from the Emperor." Akio withdrew a scroll from the front of his robe and held it out to Sanzo. Sanzo took it and looked it over, as Akio explained. "All youkai and hanyou must be on record with local officials so we can both track their movements and protect them from those who may wish to do them harm. As you are the one who ended the Minus Wave and allowed youkai to return to their normal lives, your presence will hopefully ease any who feel uncomfortable with the Emperor recording their information."

"This looks like a load of nonsense." He scowled at the seal of the Emperor at the bottom of the decree.

"We have a record of all humans born in China, and we count noses once a year to keep track of each province," Akio dismissed with a shrug. "This is merely an extra step for the youkai. It's for everyone's protection."

"If you say so," Sanzo muttered. "But I would prefer not to get involved."

"Lord Sanzo, though you may not like it, I need your help. After all, isn't that why you gave those orphans to another caretaker?" Akio rose to a stand. "Come with me. There is much work to do." Sanzo knew he had no choice- the seal of the Emperor, combined with Akio's authority, was as good as a direct order.

"I suppose a few hours' delay will be no major matter," Sanzo conceded begrudgingly, and he followed Akio from the temple, trusting in the knowledge that Gojyo knew how to handle their sons.

* * *

"That son of a bitch makes this shit look easy!" Gojyo groaned as he tried to hold Yohei still on the changing table. Gojyo was surprised- no, perhaps appalled was the word- that a one-week old infant could move as much as he did. Eiji was crying in the crib as Yohei wiggled his legs left and right while Gojyo tried to clean him. He managed to pin his legs down, but this only resulted in Yohei releasing a stream of urine, spraying Gojyo in the face. "God-fuckin'- how the hell did he do this for three days without me?!" Gojyo spit to clear his mouth and forced the diaper onto Yohei. He didn't bother to fully dress him as Eiji ratcheted his screaming to an ear-splitting new level, instead switching infants as quickly as he could.

Gojyo didn't take too much offense that Sanzo hadn't shown up. 'After all, he's still kind of a major public figure, ain't too easy for him to get away if he has actual shit to do,' he reasoned. Still, it didn't make it any easier on him. With Hakkai away most of the day and sometimes through the night, Sanzo had been staying at the house from early in the morning until late in the evening, and Gojyo had become happily accustomed to this. He and Sanzo had cobbled together a system for taking care of the boys day in and out, though it wasn't easy- it seemed the twins were already devious enough to cooperate when they wanted or needed everything they did want or need.

Perhaps, though, it wasn't their fault. Feeding them at the same time made the most sense, so they could make one large batch of formula and each of them would take one child. However, it seemed this aligned their diaper changes as well, and after Hakkai had told him about diaper rash, Gojyo was incredibly wary of leaving them wet for long. Sanzo would usually change them with his cool demeanor and quick hands, and Gojyo would dress the first while Sanzo took care of the second. If one cried, the second wasn't far behind, and Sanzo would usually be the first drop whatever task, usually cleaning bottles or laundering the diapers, they had taken up to tend to whoever had started, giving Gojyo a moment to put away what they'd been doing before joining him. With the boys waking no less than every two hours a night, Sanzo had insisted that Gojyo try to get at least a little bit of sleep during the day, promising he would take care of everything. Now on his own, Gojyo couldn't imagine how Sanzo lasted by himself for those few days he did.

Yohei still cried as Gojyo tried to change and clean Eiji. He tossed the wet diaper in the bin and managed to hold Eiji down long enough to pin a fresh one on. Eiji shrieked as Gojyo tried to dress him, and Gojyo couldn't help but feel they were being deliberately stubborn at this point. He picked him up and bounced him on his shoulder, supporting Eiji's bottom with one hand and turning his attention back to Yohei. "Poor guy, I'm sorry you're cold," Gojyo muttered as he tried to get Yohei's pajamas on with one hand. He heard the front door open and shut, and sighed with relief. "Izzat you, Kou?"

"Sorry to disappoint," Hakkai replied from the hall. Gojyo grunted and continued trying to dress Yohei. "Let me wash up and I can help."

"Yeah, sure, thanks," Gojyo grumbled. Eiji had finally started to calm, and Gojyo had managed to work Yohei's legs into his pajamas. Hakkai seemed to glide in like a spirit on wings and quickly got Yohei fully dressed, then took Eiji from Gojyo and laid him down. The quiet filled the room like a fresh, cool breeze. "Ain't even fair, man," Gojyo sighed as he cleaned off the changing area.

"What's not fair?" Hakkai smiled innocuously, tapping the mobile. Both infants fixed their gaze on it as the little birds lazily drifted above them.

"I made 'em, but I'm the worst at dealing with 'em," Gojyo muttered. Hakkai actually laughed.

"Oh, don't be silly! It's very hard to handle two at once. Besides, I've dealt with infants before. At the orphanage, the older children helped care for the younger ones. And Sanzo just seems to have a knack for dealing with animals, and babies aren't too far from that."

"Well, ain't that a pisser? Animals hate me," Gojyo snorted.

"Don't get discouraged- I'm sure they like you plenty."

"Eh." Gojyo shrugged. "So, you home for the day?"

"No, we have to go out." Hakkai took a torn piece of newsprint from his pocket. "Seems it's become required for all youkai to have their names and locations recorded yearly, along with a photograph. You, Eiji, and myself will have to report, and we certainly can't leave Yohei here."

"Wait- you mean we gotta take 'em out of the house?" Gojyo frowned and took the newspaper from him. It was a large notice addressed to "All Youkai" with the Emperor's seal at the bottom.

"Yes," Hakkai replied nonchalantly, and Gojyo groaned and crumpled the newspaper up. "Don't worry, I'm sure it'll be fine. I'm going to shower and change. Would you mind getting us a bit of breakfast together? Should still be some of last night's rice in the steamer, unless you had a midnight snack."

"Yeah, yeah, tea and porridge, comin' up," Gojyo grumbled, and Hakkai sighed contently as he left the room. Gojyo checked the twins one last time. "When the hell did I become a goddamn housewife?" He tickled Eiji's toes. "I blame you, shrimp." Eiji whimpered, and Gojyo quickly darted out before he could cause any more trouble.

* * *

Sanzo could tell it was nearing noon from the sun's position in the sky, and he was still stuck standing at the temple gates as disgruntled youkai paraded past him, often with confused and complaining children in tow.

"After all we've been through, how can you do this to us?" One youkai muttered to him as he passed.

"This is for your own protection. I wouldn't lead you astray," Sanzo parroted for what felt like the thousandth time. He could only be thankful the sun wasn't terribly warm that day, as he was already uncomfortable enough watching everyone pass him by. Goku weaved up to him through the crowd.

"The end is nowhere in sight, Sanzo! I had no idea there were so many youkai in Chang'an!" He chirped. "Hey, can I start a game of four square with some of the kids?"

"No, leave them be. Wouldn't want anyone getting lost," Sanzo instructed, and Goku groaned.

"You're no fun. So, are we gonna visit Gojyo and Hakkai and the little cousins today?"

"Perhaps later. We are needed here, and they can live without us for a day," Sanzo murmured, though he frowned to himself. Goku studied Sanzo for a moment.

"But... you'd rather not miss them, right?" Goku grinned at him, and Sanzo glowered back. Goku laughed nervously and backed away. "Sheesh, who gave you a wedgie?"

"Hey!" Sanzo looked when he heard someone calling at his direction. He saw a hand waving in the air, and cut through the crowd to find Hakkai and Gojyo, each holding one child. Hakkai smiled pleasantly. "Is this where you've been?"

"Not by choice, I assure you," Sanzo muttered. He held his hands out, and Hakkai handed Yohei to him. Sanzo looked him up and down. "Isn't he a bit overdressed?" Indeed, Gojyo had dressed both twins in warm coats and knit hats.

"They're little, they get cold easy," Gojyo retorted. "They still ain't even three kilograms, they're barely ten days old. Probably shouldn't even be out here." He smirked at Sanzo. "But since we have you as an 'in,' maybe you could help us jump the line-"

"As much as I'd like to get them out of the sun and the cold, do you really think I want to make the fifty people ahead of you angry?" Sanzo glanced at the people in the line around them. "I'll try and get some of your paperwork primed so you can get through quickly, but there's little I can do. Did you make out alright this morning?"

"Oh, we did just fine without you," Gojyo teased, and Sanzo frowned.

"Really?"

"No, he needed me to save the day," Hakkai interjected. Goku snickered as Gojyo's cheeks turned pink.

"Hmph." Sanzo looked unimpressed. "No need to lie about it, you know. I had a hard time on my own, especially those first two days."

"Yeah, but I'm their dad, I should be able to handle it." Gojyo rolled his eyes.

"None of that," Hakkai scolded with a coy grin. "After all, you both are-"

"Yes, yes, I know," Sanzo snapped, and Hakkai laughed nervously. Sanzo looked back at Gojyo as he handed Yohei back to Hakkai. "I'm sorry I couldn't make it in this morning. I'm not sure how many days I'll need to do this nonsense registration, but I'll be there as soon as I can."

"Look, it's okay. We'll make do, right?" Gojyo smiled at him, and Sanzo sighed.

"Fine. See you up there." Sanzo lingered a second longer, and finally dragged himself back to his post at the gates. However, he was promptly mobbed by a crowd of angry youkai housewives complaining about their children being bored and their husbands already dead, how could he force them to suffer more, so on and so forth, to the point where he stopped listening and started nodding and trying as hard as he possibly could to look concerned. He couldn't even spare his friends a passing glance as the line advanced and brought them past him.

Lord Akio was behind the desk, supervising the clerks that were there. He personally approached Hakkai as he handed Yohei off to Gojyo and began to fill out the paperwork. "Why, if it isn't two of the heroes. Glad you made it." He smiled diplomatically at the pair. "And your foundlings, as well."

"Well, it's our civic duty, isn't it?" Hakkai returned Akio's smile. "Must we fill out one for each of us, or will one do?"

"We'll need individual papers on both of them."

"All three of us," Hakkai corrected. Akio frowned.

"Well, perhaps since the history of the human boy is uncertain-"

"Then that would make four." Hakkai took four of the information sheets. Akio appeared perplexed.

"Why, Mr. Cho, surely you're not saying-"

"You mean you don't know?" Hakkai put the pen down and removed his limiter. Gojyo hid a smirk into his jacket collar as Akio gaped at Hakkai's youkai form. Hakkai, however, maintained a blithe smile. "Funny, how these things work, isn't it? All three of Lord Sanzo's companions may well have fought on the other side, were we so inclined." Hakkai replaced his limiter and continued his paperwork. Some of the other youkai began rumbling to one another;

"Even the heroes-"

"I heard they made Lord Sanzo's ward register first-"

"Where do they get off-"

"Hey." Gojyo spoke up, glancing around. "Lord Sanzo wouldn't be going along with this if it weren't for a damn good reason!" The complainers quickly quieted, and Hakkai giggled under his breath. He quickly filled out all four of the applications and handed them in. Gojyo noticed that Hakkai had made a separate category; rather than marking off "youkai" or "hanyou," Hakkai had written in "unknown" and checked it off for Yohei.

"Just a photograph, now? Perhaps you should take those three together." Hakkai gestured towards Gojyo and the babies. The clerk leaned forward.

"They're cute! Are those the orphans Lord Sanzo found?" She looked between them and Gojyo.

"Y-yeah." Gojyo couldn't help but feel a slight chill run down his neck. "He, uh, left them with us, and he comes to help."

"How cute! So, are you two-" She gestured between the two of them- "You know-"

"Oh, you mean...?" Hakkai laughed nervously. "Why, miss, surely you don't think my standards are that low!" The clerk laughed in response, and Gojyo's cheeks flushed. She handed them two tabs denoting their file numbers, and they each got in a separate line.

"Man, where do you get off-" Gojyo started, but Hakkai shushed him.

"Would you rather I told the truth?"

"Well, yeah, but we'd just get in trouble," Gojyo muttered. He turned his gaze around the room again. "I still don't like this."

"Cheer up- they can't do anything worse to us with our information than without it. Think of it as a first family photo!" Hakkai beamed, and the two separated as Hakkai turned his tab in and stood in front of the camera. Gojyo grumbled under his breath, glancing between the boys.

"Family photo. Yeah, right." He heard his number called, and moved forward to the photo panel. He removed their hats and fluffed their hair.

"Everyone smile!" The photographer called, and Gojyo held them up and put on the biggest grin he could muster...

* * *

"They started crying the second the camera snapped," Goku reported somberly. Sanzo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. The ruckus had started near the front of the line and was spreading down past the gates, with whispers of, 'They're hurting children!'

"They? Both of them?" Sanzo demanded.

"Okay, well, Yohei started with the first one," Goku clarified. "But they had to take two more. Eiji started on the second one. Then someone started bitching about how they were putting little kids through this rigmarole-"

"I got it, I got it. Where are they?"

"Trying to calm the pair of 'em down. The proctors are trying to get them out, though, so they should be coming by- there they are!" Goku grinned and waved to Gojyo and Hakkai as they rushed out of the sanctuary past the gates. Gojyo's cheeks were bright pink, and he looked completely disgusted. Hakkai was a half step behind him, still gently talking to whichever infant he was holding.

"Gojyo, wait!" Sanzo blurted, holding his hand out. Gojyo halted abruptly in front of him.

"They're tired and all kinds of pissed off. We're leaving." Gojyo tried to pull Eiji's hat on a little closer, only to the infant's chagrin.

"Wait. Here." He took his Three Aspects card out. "I want you to get them used to the camera so they won't get upset next time. Take this, and next time either you or Hakkai come into town, get yourselves a camera."

"I can't-"

"Take it, yes, I know!" Sanzo snapped. "You don't want to. But I'm asking you. Please."

"I'm going home." Gojyo stormed off, still trying to bounce Eiji on his shoulder. Hakkai sighed, moving to follow, but Sanzo held his arm out.

"Buy a camera, pass it on."

"As you wish." Hakkai gingerly took the card from him and pocketed it. Yohei seemed to have already fallen asleep on his shoulder. "Will you be visiting tonight?"

"I'm not sure. Lord Akio seems to have conscripted me for however long this is going to take." Sanzo looked over Hakkai's shoulder to the line, which seemed to extend beyond his field of vision. "And if this takes until midnight, and tomorrow, and the day after, then so be it. I'm starting to fear Chang'an is going to be the meeting point for the entire district, and the order can't have even reached the borders yet." Sanzo scratched the back of his head anxiously. "If there's any way you can help Gojyo, I'll be grateful."

"I'll do my best. After all, we're all friends." Hakkai smiled cheerfully.

"Come on, Hakkai!" Gojyo shouted from ahead. Hakkai nodded to Sanzo.

"If you'll pardon me." Hakkai edged around Sanzo and went to follow. Sanzo could see Yohei's eyes open over Hakkai's shoulder, unfocused. He waved a childish farewell, and his insides felt heavy as the babies vanished from view.

* * *

Sanzo was scant for two weeks. He would either appear only very late at night or not at all. He would always be exhausted, always walked in to Gojyo busy.

"Siddown, take a load off," Gojyo would say over whatever he was doing- rocking Eiji, cleaning Yohei, trying to launder diapers and soiled clothes in the sink. Sanzo tried to make small talk;

"How was your day? Anything interesting happen?" But Gojyo was always brief;

"Eh. Yohei threw up in my hair. Again."

"I think Eiji looked directly at me. You know, for a couple'a seconds. Then he shit right through the diaper."

"Eiji cried all night. Hakkai says it's colic 'cause he eats too fast. I say he's bein' an asshole."

"But you didn't miss anything fun," he added each time. Sanzo would sigh and wait for Gojyo to come to him, usually after putting the whichever baby he had in his arms back to bed. "How was your day?"

Sanzo couldn't help but be weary of his exhausted smile, but he himself was too tired to do more. He could even see Gojyo wearing down further, at least for the hour or so he saw him at a stretch. The fourth time he'd had to skip a day before walking down to their cottage, Gojyo opened the door for him and simply stared. Sanzo stared back. Gojyo had deep, blue rings under his eyes, his shirt was stained with regurgitated formula, and he was breathing heavily. Sanzo could hear one of the children still crying from the kitchen.

"I..." Gojyo started breathlessly. "I... uh... now's a bad time."

"Let me help," Sanzo offered.

"No." Gojyo closed the door. Sanzo stood on the stoop, dumbfounded. He heard Hakkai pulling up in the Jeep behind him, heard the car's door shut. Hakkai approached and looked between Sanzo and the door.

"Were you going in?"

"I... I suppose not. He didn't want to let me in," Sanzo murmured, slowly shaking his head. "I will never understand that man."

"Ah." Hakkai stared between Sanzo and the door. "Would you like a ride back to town?"

"No." Sanzo turned for the main road. "I'll walk." He slowly began to trudge away. Hakkai sighed and shook his head.

"I could let you in, if you'd like."

"No. He said no." With that, Sanzo took to the road. Hakkai entered the house, watching as Gojyo, wide-eyed as he scrubbed something dark green and rancid-smelling from the floor while keeping Yohei pinned to his shoulder.

"Any reason you rejected free assistance?"

"I can't let him see me like this," Gojyo mumbled. "I gotta try and be a better dad. If this is what it's gonna be like, I better get used to it."

After not seeing Gojyo for six days, five of which were divided between monitoring the line and quelling arguments or sleep at a four-to-one ratio, Sanzo resolved himself to try and help more. He didn't bother knocking before entering the house. He pulled off his shoes and hung his sutra next to Gojyo and Hakkai's jackets, and approached Gojyo, who stood over the sink, washing bottles.

"Where the hell've you been?" Gojyo asked, turning a glare over his shoulder. Sanzo shrunk back, but silently reminded himself- he has every right to be angry. He could see something beige and sticky-looking dried in Gojyo's hair, and an immense pile of dirty bottles waiting for him. Sanzo braced himself and answered calmly.

"Busy. Some of the folks from the outer edges of the region and out in the countryside have finally made it in, and we can't just turn people away because it's past midnight." Sanzo slipped a few steps closer. "We... had to close early tonight. Some idiot set a fire a block from the temple, so we evacuated."

"Well, ain't that nice," Gojyo grumbled. "Just... sit down, I'll be there in a minute."

"I'll help."

"No."

"Tag out," Sanzo demanded quietly. Gojyo scoffed. "It's my turn. Tag."

"Piss off." Gojyo scrubbed the bottle's insides even harder.

"Take a shower and rest. Tag."

"This ain't an improv routine. Go do whatever. I've got it," Gojyo grumbled, waving Sanzo off and splashing him with soapy water off the scrub brush in the same motion.

"Tag," Sanzo insisted in a growl, smearing the soap off his shirt. "I know it's unforgivable that I haven't been here, you've every right to be angry. Don't push me back now that I'm finally here. If you keep running yourself ragged, you'll snap. I'm here now. Take a break." He managed to swipe the bottle brush from Gojyo's hand. "Tag."

"Fine! Have it your way!" Gojyo threw the bottle down into the sink and stormed outside. Sanzo silently took up scrubbing. Ten minutes later, Gojyo came back in. Sanzo could smell cigarette smoke on him.

"Better?"

"Y... yeah," Gojyo admitted.

"Good. Shower."

"Buh-"

"You'll feel better. And smell better."

"Fuck you!" Gojyo stormed into the bathroom, and Sanzo continued cleaning. He heard the water start running, but worked his way through the pile until he heard it turn off. Gojyo emerged again, wearing clean pajama pants and toweling his hair.

"Better?"

"Yes," Gojyo grumbled.

"You're still mad at me. That's understandable." Sanzo dried off the last of the bottles. "When's the last time you got more than two hours of sleep at a time?" Gojyo glowered, stone-eyed, at Sanzo. "Now would be a good time to change that."

"Oh, and what's to say you're going to stay for more'n two goddamn hours to back me up?" Gojyo snarled, striding towards Sanzo, who braced himself and stared into the sink. "Who're you to tell me what to do?! I've been busting my ass, where the hell've you been?"

"Busy. I've already apologized for being gone. I'm trying to make it up to you. And I guarantee I will remain here as late as I possibly can." Sanzo glanced over his shoulder. "I'm not telling you what to do. You've taken care of them without me for the past week, so I'm asking you to take care of yourself." He turned around, wiping his hands on his pants. "Be angry at me all you like, but I'll still be here in three hours and as long as I can after that. For your own sake." Gojyo and Sanzo glared at another for a moment. Gojyo finally sighed and threw out his hands.

"Fine. I'll sleep. I want to sleep anyway!"

"Wait." Sanzo stepped forward, and Gojyo put his hands on his hips and cocked his brow.

"What?"

"Turn around."

"What the f-" Sanzo made a turning motion with his finger, and Gojyo sighed and complied. Sanzo examined the back of his hair.

"Alright, it's gone."

"That's all you wanted?! Fuckin' hell, good night!" Gojyo chucked the towel at Sanzo's chest and stormed off. Sanzo took a deep, calming breath and made himself comfortable outside the bedroom door, sitting with legs folded, silent.

He listened as Gojyo tossed and turned in his bed for nearly half an hour, until he was finally still. He folded his hands on his lap, meditating, or perhaps just trying to think straight, until he heard one of the children start to whine. He quickly got to his feet and slipped in, taking up Yohei and spiriting him from the room. He checked the diaper- thankfully it was clean- leaned against the wall and started rocking him.

"You missed me. You're probably angry too, because you missed me," Sanzo murmured to him. Yohei continued to sniffle onto Sanzo's breast. "Would you like to hear where I've been? I was asked- told, really- to help keep angry people in line while we take their pictures and write down where they live. That way, if anyone starts doing bad things, we know where to find them. I know it sounds silly, but I think it'll help keep you safe." Sanzo paused, still slowly rolling his shoulders against the wall and swaying his torso. Yohei was quiet, though still awake, but focused on Sanzo. Sanzo could see his wet blue eyes fixed on his face. "I've met some strange people, too. Would you like to hear about them?" He quietly continued to talk to Yohei, unaware that Gojyo was still awake in his bed, glaring at the ceiling and straining to listen to Sanzo.

It was at this moment that Gojyo realized why Sanzo's attempt to write down their adventure was going so poorly- he was a terrible storyteller, his voice nigh-expressionless and droning. He didn't know Sanzo had learned the technique elsewhere, but all he knew was that when he woke up in the morning to the sound of Eiji crying, Yohei was asleep in the crib, and Sanzo was gone. He'd left a note listing the last time he'd changed and fed them, about two hours prior, and the farewell, "Take care of yourself. Yours."

Of course one night's work was not adequate penance for nearly a week of absence. That Sanzo continued to be absent every other day for the next week was no comfort either, though Gojyo tried hard not to be angry at him even with vomit on his clothes and no more than an hour of sleep at a time. But this particular night three weeks into the registration, Gojyo couldn't even be mad.

"Fuck's sake, who did that?" Gojyo asked as Sanzo collapsed onto Hakkai's futon and covered his black eye with his hand. He took a pack of meat from the icebox and tossed it to Sanzo.

"Hello to you too." Gojyo snorted under his breath, and Sanzo continued, "Some angry fuck. Said something about violating his privacy." Sanzo put the pork over his eye.

"And what did you say?"

"You have to understand- there are a lot more women there than men."

"Well yeah, lotta men got themselves killed when they all went nuts." Gojyo twirled his finger by his forehead. "But what did'ja do?"

"I called him ma'am." Gojyo laughed raucously, and Sanzo groaned. "Not... so... loud."

"Shit, sorry." Gojyo rubbed the back of his head. "Headache?"

"You have no idea."

"Eh, I can believe it." Gojyo took the seat beside him. "Want me to try and make you some tea, or some broth?"

"I want to see my sons." Gojyo cocked his eyebrow in surprise, and Sanzo turned his visible eye to him. "It will make me feel better."

"Whatever you say." Gojyo shrugged and got to his feet. "They just got to sleep, though."

"I won't wake them. This isn't helping." He took the meat off his eye and handed it back to Gojyo. Gojyo shrugged and put the meat away, and Sanzo washed his hands and face. He shuffled to the bedroom, Gojyo close behind him, and leaned over the crib. He stared down at them, looking from one to the other. He gently slid his hands under Eiji's bottom and head and gingerly lifted him up, then slid to the ground, folding his legs under him and laying Eiji down in his lap. "My god, how I've missed you," he whispered.

"They missed you too." Gojyo chuckled. Sanzo was quiet for a few seconds, curling Eiji's hair in his fingers and stroking his head.

"Not just him. Not just them. All of you," he added somberly. He looked back up at Gojyo, his eyes unusually forlorn. Gojyo was momentarily taken aback, but he joined Sanzo in front of the crib, kneeling beside him.

"Yeah, I know."

"Do..." Sanzo lowered his eyes. "Do you..."

"Yeah, I miss you too. Full honesty, I probably oughta be madder right now that you ain't here as much as you should be." He wrapped his arm around Sanzo's shoulder. "But you can't help it."

They sat, side by side, silent but for the soft rustling of Sanzo's fingers scratching Eiji's head. "I'll make it up to you," Sanzo murmured, and he rose to his feet, Eiji still in his hands. He lifted the boy close to his face. "All of you." He touched his nose to Eiji's, and slowly set him back down. He looked back down at Gojyo. "I have to leave. I need to be ready by sunup tomorrow."

"I'll walk with you-" Gojyo got to his feet.

"No, stay with them," Sanzo insisted. "If they wake and need you, and you're not there, I..." He sighed. "I would regret your company."

"Kou, I-"

"Don't apologize. I can't stand it." Sanzo slowly trudged from the room. Gojyo quickly dug in the drawer beside his bed.

"Something for the road, then?" He yanked out an envelope. Sanzo turned back towards him as Gojyo caught up, rifling through the envelope. He pulled out a few small pieces of paper and held them out to Sanzo. "Yeah, Hakkai showed up with a camera, we just got these developed. Wanted to finish the roll." Sanzo studied each photograph- Eiji and Yohei together in the crib, Yohei with his arm over Eiji's chest; Gojyo and Eiji laying on the carpet, Eiji on his back, Gojyo leaning over him and wagging a finger at him; Yohei drinking from a bottle, being offered by Hakkai who was surely smiling above the frame.

"This is all you got?"

"We had a few misfires. And a lot of them are the same. Besides, they're not even a month old yet- can't even hold their heads upright, let alone do cute shit for the camera," Gojyo muttered defensively. "Least they don't cry every time it snaps anymore. If you don't want 'em-"

"No, these are perfect." Sanzo put them away. "I only wanted to know if there was a photograph of the whole family."

"Of course not, asshole." Gojyo folded his arms. "You ain't been here so we can take it."

"You- you know what I mean." Sanzo scowled. Gojyo smirked.

"Well, how about right now?" He gestured to the bedroom, thumb over his shoulder. "Camera's in there. I could turn the light on for just a few minutes."

"I have a black eye. They're asleep."

"We call it a candid."

"You're an idiot."

"Hey, I prefer the term lovable scoundrel." Gojyo cocked his head with a roguish smirk. "We gonna do this or not?"

"If you don't mind my intrusion..." Both Sanzo and Gojyo tensed when they heard Hakkai's voice from the door. Hakkai poked his head around the corner, wearing his usual knowing smile. "But if you could allow me five minutes to get a beverage and a snack, I'd be happy to give you some privacy."

"Wait, hang on!" Gojyo grabbed his arm. "We need your help!" Hakkai continued to smile, but he didn't move.

"I'm not sure I like where this is going."

* * *

Sanzo would never, ever, ever admit he liked the photograph Gojyo handed off to him a week later. Gojyo had been excited, begging Sanzo to just sit down on the bed and wait while he dug it out. He yanked it from his drawer and bounded beside Sanzo again, happily thrusting it forth. Sanzo instantly disapproved. His shiner showed up brilliantly in the light, red and raw around the edges and deep purple in the center. Eiji and Yohei had both started crying when the lights came on, and Yohei had grabbed onto Gojyo's hair. Gojyo was jubilant- "Hey, he reached for me! He ain't done that before!"- and had his arm around Sanzo's shoulder. Eiji was whimpering in Sanzo's lap, and Sanzo could still recall just how badly he'd felt for him at the time.

"This is terrible. We look cruel and insane," Sanzo growled to Gojyo.

"We know we're not, though." Gojyo grinned proudly, half-bouncing on the mattress. "Even Hakkai said we looked like a real family."

"Real family, hm?" Sanzo sighed, and put the photograph into his sleeve pocket.

"I know. You don't think real family sees each other for twenty minutes at a time every other day, right?" Gojyo smirked as Sanzo hung his head.

"The last thing I need is-"

"Me being an asshole. Yeah, I know, but it's too easy sometimes." Gojyo chuckled.

"I came to bring the good news, at least. Lord Akio's wrapped up registration in the area. He's got to move on to the next region."

"He ain't makin' you go with him?" Gojyo grinned eagerly. Sanzo shook his head.

"I'll be here tomorrow morning, bright and early, for the six-AM feeding." Sanzo slowly reached for Gojyo's hand, but he drew his arm back like he'd been stung. Sanzo glanced down, considering Gojyo's actions. Stiff and anxious, Gojyo got up from the bed.

"I'm glad." He smiled, but it looked unnatural. Sanzo fixed a somber gaze on Gojyo, trying to read his expression. "Uh, it's been a little while since the last diaper check. Mind helping?"

"Not even a little." Sanzo got up as Gojyo scooped Yohei from the crib.

Yohei whined briefly as Gojyo transferred him to the changing mat and unbuttoned his pajamas and stripped them down. Sanzo took up Eiji and laid him beside Yohei. Gojyo placed a small cup over Yohei's exposed privates as he took the diaper off and tossed it in the bin. Sanzo raised one brow and glowered at Gojyo as he started to undress Eiji, and Gojyo smirked back at him. "You only get piss in your mouth and hair so many times before you get that idea." He yanked a wipe from the box, dried Yohei off, and wrapped a fresh diaper onto him. Sanzo was only a second behind him, and Yohei was already being rocked on Gojyo's shoulder as Sanzo finished putting Eiji's clothes back on.

"You're quite good at that." Sanzo cradled Eiji, who was fussing quietly into his shoulder. "I suppose you've had some practice." Yohei was already asleep again. Gojyo grinned.

"Guess so. Maybe that means you've got catching up to do."

"Hmph." Sanzo carried Eiji back to the crib and carefully laid him down. "I've had a thought. They spend quite a bit of time here-"

"What are you getting at? I take 'em around the house all the time, it's just too cold to go outside!" Gojyo pressed his hand into Yohei's back protectively, but Yohei only started to rouse and whimper.

"Don't get defensive- I was not complaining. I just wanted to suggest we put something outside the window!" Both babies began to cry at Sanzo's outburst. Gojyo sighed with disgust.

"Fuckin'-" Gojyo shushed Yohei and swayed him against his body. Sanzo took up Eiji and tried to do the same, but Eiji writhed like an unruly snake when Sanzo tried to hug him. Yohei quieted down after only a few minutes, though Eiji still wailed as Gojyo put Yohei down. "Hey, tickle his feet."

"What?" Sanzo couldn't comprehend as Gojyo reached out and ran his fingers across the soles of Eiji's feet, and Eiji stopped crying briefly as he squirmed back. Sanzo quickly began to trace shapes on the bottom of Eiji's foot. Eiji quickly calmed his cries to a bare whine.

"He's gonna be ticklish." Gojyo smiled with relief, then looked back to Sanzo. "Look, how about we get a garden box for the sill? Put some flowers in it this spring an' stuff. Me an' Hakkai'll work on it."

"I'll help." Sanzo slowly, cautiously put Eiji down again. Eiji promptly shoved his thumb into his mouth, tears drying on his cheeks.

"Alright." Gojyo went to dim the lights and leave the room, but Sanzo lingered by the crib a moment longer. He hummed a few bars of the only lullaby he knew, slowly reaching into his pocket and taking out the photograph Gojyo had given him.

"You make me happy..." He paused, looking at Eiji and Yohei in the photo, and sighed heavily.

"This family thing is hard, right?" Gojyo chuckled from behind him. Sanzo didn't respond, instead putting the photo away. "It's okay. We're together now. We'll make it."

"I hope you're right," Sanzo murmured. "I truly, honestly do."

* * *

**End Notes:** Those of you who were thinking Akio was going to cause our heroes some trouble were on the money. But really, how much harm can a bureaucrat do?

As always: Comments? Suggestions? Questions? Review!

Until next time!


	3. We're Still Working Out the Kinks

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author Notes:** So, school and life are teaming up to kick my ass. But that's okay, because you guys are still awesome.

Review responses!

KaKashii's Wifey- Well, I'm certain that goes without saying, hehe. I hope this chapter outpaces the last!

RodiSquall- The camera's not evil! Just that noise and bright flash of light. As for the "not the face!" bit, that really is a thing that happens with little boys. They actually have "pee-pee tee-pees" for preventing just that very thing. What a world, right?

Dragon77- My reputation precedes me- I mean, what, me? Write a sadistic villain? Nawh! What would ever make you suspect that? In all seriousness, Akio will not be like Nezuoh. Fortunately, he's out of focus this chapter.

**Disclaimer: **Still not mine, except for the scenario and the original characters.

* * *

**3: We're Still Working Out the Kinks**

True to his word, Sanzo had begun to return to Hakkai and Gojyo's little house, usually with Goku in tow. Though Hakkai was still often busy bounty hunting, Gojyo was finally able to get out of the house by himself. The first thing he did was buy a dozen packs of cigarettes and a six-pack.

"Well, I'm good for the next week!" He announced proudly as he re-entered with his prizes in tow. Sanzo looked over the edge of his newspaper and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What? What's wrong?"

"We're going to need a few more beers if that's for the week."

"They ain't for me." Gojyo put the beer in the fridge. "If you're gonna be stayin' here more often, you're gonna need 'em."

"Awh, don't be a jerk!" Goku laughed. He was laying on the carpet, nose to nose with Yohei. Yohei was flat on his belly and, to Gojyo's immense pride, holding his head up on his own power to stare back at Goku. Gojyo chuckled and leaned close to Yohei.

"Daddy's home, big guy," he cooed to Yohei. Goku giggled gleefully- and promptly fell flat into the carpet, already snoring. Gojyo sighed and scooped Yohei up, setting him alongside Eiji in a bouncy-seat Hakkai had brought home a few days prior. Sanzo jostled the seat with his foot as Gojyo dragged Goku onto the futon and yanked a blanket over him. "Takin' all bets on how long he'll be gone this time."

Goku had become something of a mystery to Gojyo- certainly, when he was acting normally, he was the same as ever. He had become Sanzo's loyal cameraman, happily tagging along with all excursions when Sanzo wanted to go anywhere, especially with the babies. However, he had developed an odd habit of falling completely unconscious at the drop of a hat. He didn't seem to be able to control it, but would simply fall into a deep sleep wherever he was. It was perhaps most inconvenient when Sanzo had gone out with one of the twins, as he'd have to carry Goku home, but Sanzo would just sling him over one shoulder and hold the baby on the other. Thankfully, it was nothing in comparison to the six months he'd slept upon their return to Chang'an; the longest he'd slept since, according to Sanzo, was nineteen hours. More often than not, it would be an hour or two, and he'd wake slightly confused as to how he'd gotten wherever Sanzo, Gojyo, or Hakkai put him, then get back to whatever business was at hand.

"And where did you go this time?" Hakkai had tried to ask him once. Goku only shrugged.

"Kannon wanted tea. She says hi, by the way."

Gojyo and Hakkai both tried to ask him where he'd gone when he'd slept for six months, but he shrugged it off both times, giving no more specific answer than "Up to see Kannon." Gojyo wanted to rough the kid up and play around with him, but part of him worried what would happen if Goku stopped fighting back in the middle of their roughhousing. Still, they were just happy to have him back at all.

Hakkai, however, was still fairly scarce. He never complained about his lot, but sometimes Sanzo wondered if he was the town's only form of law enforcement. Hakkai did not talk business when he was at home. He would usually come in with groceries and a small stack of paper money. "Put this away," he'd instruct Gojyo cheerfully. "This has to last." Though Hakkai never talked money, Sanzo could tell it wasn't much. He also noticed that Gojyo spent very little of it on his own. He would perhaps get one six-pack of cheap beer and a few boxes of cigarettes a week, but Hakkai purchased most of the rest of the household's groceries. Sanzo was perhaps most enlightened on how they perceived their situation when he stayed late for dinner one evening.

Goku was asleep on Hakkai's futon, as he had been for an hour, and Sanzo was washing Eiji in the bathroom sink. Gojyo had finished washing Yohei and was dressing him. Sanzo heard the front door open and shut over the sloshing in the sink as he washed between each of Eiji's toes.

"I'm home!" He called into the house.

"How did it go?" Gojyo answered.

"I managed to bring in a couple of pickpockets, but they didn't amount to much," Hakkai replied coolly. "Still. As long as we're careful, we should be able to manage. Do we still have those shells in the icebox?"

"The scallop shells? I didn't touch 'em."

"Alright, good. I'll start dinner now." Sanzo heard Hakkai put his bag down and start rattling around the kitchen. Sanzo lifted Eiji out of the tub and began to carefully dry him off.

"Nice and clean," he said aloud, rubbing the towel on his head. Eiji gazed up at him, wide-eyed, as Sanzo wrapped him in the towel and carried him to the bedroom. Gojyo brushed past him on his way out, offering a quick, bright grin.

"I'll get their dinner going too." He leaned down and rubbed Eiji's nose to his. "Daddy gonna be back in a minute!" He jogged out, and Sanzo rolled his eyes as he set Eiji down to dress him.

"Doesn't he know you can't understand him?" He remarked to the boy as he dressed him. Eiji only yawned. Sanzo put him down with Yohei and tapped the mobile to get it going. Even though the two were only about five weeks old, Sanzo had made a few observations about the twins- mainly, that Yohei was very quick to fall asleep and Eiji, very quick to wake. In the few minutes since Gojyo had put him down and walked away, Yohei was already fast asleep. Eiji, however, fixated on the mobile, blinking and watching it turn. Sanzo smoothed Eiji's hair down and hummed to him, only somewhat listening to the noise of Hakkai and Gojyo in the kitchen. Hakkai poked his head in.

"Will you be staying for dinner?"

"Has Goku woken up yet?" Sanzo asked in return.

"No, he hasn't moved."

"Then I suppose I shall. It'll be easier to get home once he's woken up. Will that be a problem?"

"No, no." Hakkai smiled anxiously. "I always make extra rice anyway. We'll be ready in a few minutes." He left, and Sanzo wondered why he had looked so nervous. Once Eiji fell asleep, Sanzo wandered out to the living area. Gojyo was filling a bunch of bottles with a funnel, and Hakkai had dished out some rice and stir-fried leeks and carrots onto three plates.

"Sit, sit, eat up!" Gojyo encouraged Sanzo as he put four of the bottles away and left the other two out to cool. Sanzo knelt at the table as Hakkai served. Sanzo could smell the scallops and some fish from the rice, but he didn't see any. Gojyo and Hakkai joined him, took up their chopsticks, and started eating.

"Any mayonnaise?" Sanzo asked. Hakkai shook his head.

"I don't like it all that much, and he's indifferent." Hakkai nodded towards Gojyo, who was digging through his rice and vegetables quickly.

"Hm." Sanzo picked through his plate. "I didn't think you two were vegetarians."

"We usually skip the meat every other night and just use the leftovers or broth for flavor," Gojyo explained, then smirked slyly. "Wouldn't peg a monk for such a carnivore."

"I'm not," Sanzo objected sharply, and began to eat. Sanzo had heard of some families skipping meat once or twice a week to save money, but it felt like Gojyo and Hakkai were going to something of an extreme. The meal was mostly silent, but for Gojyo and Hakkai passing a bottle of soy sauce between them. When Gojyo jumped from the table at the sound of a high-pitched squeal from the other room, Sanzo turned his focus from his plate to Hakkai.

"Is money tight?" He asked quietly. Hakkai shook his head.

"We're making do. However, only one of us is working; only one of us can. We could hire someone to watch the boys, but we wouldn't double our income- in fact, the additional income probably wouldn't even match the expense," Hakkai explained bluntly.

"If money is troublesome, I can help," Sanzo offered under his breath.

"You have no income of your own. Any money you spend is on that card being paid by the gods, and that's entirely unfair to them."

"They have never once complained about my spending. I only worry for your sakes."

"Don't." Hakkai smiled calmly. "We really are doing just fine." He looked back down at his plate. "I only worry about what will happen in three years, when we must send them to school. But Gojyo will be free to work again when the boys do not need his nigh-constant attention."

"I can watch them. You can bring them to the temple, I can come here. I am their father; I will tend them."

"That will be most welcome, though perhaps in another few months or so. I think Gojyo is, in spite of his stress, happily anchored." Hakkai smiled and nodded towards the hallway. Sanzo only now noticed Gojyo there, chatting to Eiji as he fed him a bottle and swayed him against his chest. Hakkai pushed his mostly-empty plate away, as Sanzo continued to pick at his.

Somehow, the situation just didn't sit well with him. And yet, he couldn't think of a way to solve problems he either couldn't or didn't want to name. Even worse, however, was the problem he could name.

* * *

"They're still asleep," Gojyo reported proudly. Sanzo nodded, and picked his cards back up. Six weeks after the boys' return to the lower world, Sanzo was spending the evening at Gojyo's house and for the first time, not being interrupted every forty minutes or so. Goku had gone home earlier, claiming he was starting to feel sleepy, and left Sanzo and Gojyo to take care of the babies. With the advent of longer sleeping times, the two were instead playing cards. "I can't believe they've stayed asleep for nearly four hours straight now. This is the longest they've gone yet."

"Mhm." Sanzo surveyed his cards, watching Gojyo over the edges. He had started to notice more and more that Gojyo was smoking less, or at least smoking outside, and the previously perpetual haze of cigarette smoke that had once surrounded him had dissipated. It seemed to brighten his skin, his hair looked healthier. "It's..."

"Eh?" Gojyo looked up.

"It's... nice that we can spend time like this," Sanzo murmured timidly, and remained quiet as he and Gojyo continued their game.

"Man, you suck at this," Gojyo teased. Sanzo kept his silence through the next round. "You're so nonchalant when you win. Pisses me off." Sanzo still said nothing, as he quietly came to a new conclusion:

He needed to work on being more forward, because Gojyo sure as hell wasn't.

"It's been a while, you know," he murmured.

"What?" Gojyo frowned.

"Since... since... you know." Sanzo waved his hand dismissively. "You know."

"You mean- oh." The emotion receded from Gojyo's voice. "You mean since we-"

"Forget I said anything," Sanzo murmured. Gojyo hung his head somberly. Sanzo got up. "I'll... check on the boys." He left the room, embarrassed, as Gojyo stared, wide-eyed and horrified, into the wood grain of the table.

Sanzo managed to catch Hakkai alone briefly early the next morning, as he was coming in and Hakkai was leaving. "No Goku this morning, eh?" Hakkai asked with a smile. Sanzo shook his head.

"Asleep. I'm sure he'll seek me out when he wakes." Sanzo shrugged, then looked Hakkai in the eyes. "I... I need to talk to you."

"Oh?" Hakkai raised his eyebrow, and Sanzo looked away, drawing a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it.

"It's about Gojyo." Sanzo folded his arms. "He... I... we..."

"You haven't had sex in some time, and you're trying to figure out how to start again." Hakkai rubbed the back of his head, and Sanzo nodded. "I see. It's been more than a year, hasn't it?"

"At least since before..." Sanzo trailed off.

"We went to the sealed realm." Hakkai sighed deeply.

"I have barely been able to do more than kiss him on the cheek," Sanzo confessed, his voice just slightly terse, and he gritted his teeth to add, "I made an offer in jest, promising some lurid favor in exchange for him doing what I asked, and he sent you in his place. Anything less chaste than holding hands has elicited either tears or recoil."

"There is still a part of him that hasn't recovered, you have to understand-"

"I do understand," Sanzo growled. "I want to know how to help him. This is not normal. Even more than this first complaint, I don't think he sleeps even when he can."

"I've noticed too. He tosses and turns, then lies awake, and sleeps only when his body forces him to. I don't know what I can do to help him, though, because he hasn't asked for help." Hakkai rubbed the back of his head and sighed. His breath rose around him like smoke to match Sanzo's cigarette, mist-grey to match the clouds overhead. "All I can do is suggest you try and talk to him when you can. Raising your concerns with me will do you no good. If I think of anything, I'll let you know, but for now, I must be going."

"Later, then," Sanzo muttered, and Hakkai jumped into the Jeep and drove off. Sanzo finished his cigarette, stubbed it on the wall, and knocked on the door. Gojyo quickly answered, and the noise of crying infants greeted him from inside.

"Good timing! I could use a hand." Gojyo grinned brightly, but it didn't hide the sleepless creases under his eyes. Sanzo only nodded and entered to begin the day's duties.

He may have been able to recognize it, but he couldn't fathom what to do about it.

Sanzo's worst fears were made even clearer only a few hours later. Sanzo had been finishing feeding Eiji as Gojyo was burping Yohei. It started as such incidents usually did- loud swearing. "Fuck!" Gojyo promptly shoved Yohei away from him as he spit across his shoulder and the rag. "Little bastard, you got some fuckin' range on that one!" He held Yohei at arm's length as he carried him to the play mat on the den floor and laid him down. He used a clean corner of the soiled rag to wipe Yohei's mouth, then moved for the mirror. Sanzo looked up as Gojyo moaned at his reflection. "My fucking hair again. Every time. Why do I bother with the rag when he pukes everywhere anyway?"

"Why not cut it?" Sanzo suggested. Gojyo scowled.

"I look awful with short hair."

"I've never seen you with short hair."

"I hated it."

"Then tie it back." Sanzo scowled and went back to tending Eiji. "I shouldn't have to tell you that."

"Yeah, yeah, screw off." Gojyo sighed and leaned down into the sink to rinse his hair. He straightened up, then went to rummage around the kitchen. He found a rubber band that had been used to tie off a bunch of scallions and went back to the bathroom mirror, and drew his hair back behind his shoulders. He carefully drew his hair through the band, twisted it on a few times, resting the ponytail at the nape of his neck, and looked back at his face in the mirror-

Except it was no longer his face he saw.

"FUCK!" Gojyo dodged back, but a wicked king still smirked back at him through the glass. He tried to tear the rubber band out, as Sanzo rushed in.

"What's wrong-"

"Get it off! Get it off!" Gojyo shrieked in a panic, yanking at his hair. Sanzo's eyes widened, but he reached for Gojyo.

"Hold still, you'll tangle it worse," he said, arm extended. His fingers brushed against Gojyo's cheek. Gojyo cried out and dodged back again, stumbling back towards the bathtub.

"No- n-n-no- Give me a knife!" Gojyo shouted, still frantic and tearing at his hair. Eiji had started to cry, frightened by the noise. Sanzo's eyes widened.

"You do not need a knife right now."

"Give me a fucking knife- scissors- something!" Gojyo demanded, holding his hand out. Sanzo rushed out to try and find a sharp implement, as Gojyo covered his ears and shut his eyes. "He's not here- he's not here- he's not here," he repeated in a terrified whisper. His stomach turned and twisted, his whole body shook. Sanzo returned with a pair of scissors.

"Hold still and I'll cut it off-"

"No!" Gojyo snapped his hand out and swiped the scissors from Sanzo. In a few rough chops, he managed to cut off most of his hair. He threw it into the wastebasket, dropped the scissors, and sank to his knees to catch his breath. Sanzo could only stare, his ears ringing. The silence was too loud. He very slowly knelt down in front of Gojyo.

"Are you okay?" Eiji and Yohei were both crying now, and Sanzo could see Gojyo wasn't far behind. Gojyo was still shivering.

"He's not here. He's not here." He slowly got to his feet, staring at something through the walls and very, very far away. "Yohei." He ran out and scooped Yohei off of the mat, and curled up with Yohei in his arms. Yohei cried and squirmed, even as Gojyo nuzzled his forehead and kissed him between the eyes. "It's okay, kiddo. Daddy's here. Daddy's not going to let anything happen to you." He continued to whisper tearful reassurances, and Sanzo went to tend to Eiji.

The problem had never been clearer.

* * *

When Hakkai arrived home he said nothing about Gojyo's sudden haircut, but Sanzo quietly disclosed the incident. Citing to Hakkai that he needed some air, Sanzo offered to help Gojyo and Hakkai with some grocery shopping while they had dinner, leaving the two of them alone with their noodles and stir-fried chicken. As winter began to set in, it had begun to get darker earlier, but as Hakkai liked to think, "Negativity loves the darkness," and it was that negativity that kept him busy. The gloom of the outside seemed to creep in around the corners as Gojyo ate and Hakkai picked at his food.

"I've been worried about you," Hakkai started gently.

"Eh? Why?" Gojyo looked up.

"You haven't been yourself. Not for some time now," Hakkai explained, folding his noodles over his chicken with the even tempo of his voice. "It worries me."

"I'm fine, man, there's nothing wrong with me," Gojyo insisted.

"You've changed, and not in a good way. You don't sleep, and I worry that you'll start breaking yourself if you don't get rest." Hakkai took up a piece of chicken on his chopsticks and popped it into his mouth, letting his words sink in. Gojyo didn't seem to react, instead continuing to eat. "Besides that, you're holding yourself differently, by which I mean you're holding yourself back."

"What the hell are you t-"

"You know exactly what the hell I am talking about," Hakkai interrupted without dropping his calm tone. "You and Sanzo are trying to carry on a relationship, and physical interactions are very much part of that. And yet, you and he have not shared physical interactions for some time now."

"Hey, I've been trying to care for my kids, I've been exhausted-"

"For six weeks. Yes, I know. But the year before they got here has been a blank as well. I'm not saying you have to carry on every night, but in order to maintain a healthy, adult relationship, you need to at least make some effort." Gojyo had stopped eating, and Hakkai started. Silence ruled the table for a few minutes.

"You... you know..." Gojyo stammered. "I, uh, I do try. I can... I can touch him." He clenched his fists under the table. "I... I just... feel weird when he touches me. It's not like it hurts, or anything, just... my skin crawls." He shuddered. "And when I close my eyes, I start feeling like I'm losing control. All my dreams freak me out." He lowered his head. "It makes me not wanna dream."

"I find it hard to swallow that I'm saying this to you, of all people- how can you expect to continue a relationship without some sexual interactions?"

"I don't know. I guess if I can't, then I'm too fucked up to be loved." Gojyo threw his chopsticks down. "You think I don't know I'm screwed in the head?" He rubbed his forehead. "I've been fucked up since—" He choked on his spit, and backed away from the table. "I don't know what to do about it. The only thing I can think of to do is try and wait it out. And I feel so rotten about it, every time K- Sanzo brings it up. But the nightmares keep screwing with my head, and there ain't a damn thing I can do about it." Hakkai tried to consider a diplomatic response, but Gojyo got to his feet. "I... I'm not hungry anymore."

Hakkai still couldn't think of how to respond as Gojyo evacuated the room, leaving his half-full plate on the table. He finished his meal in silence, though he could hear Gojyo talking to the babies. He put his plate in the sink, then braced himself and headed for Gojyo's bedroom. He stopped at the doorway.

"I'm sorry I upset you." Gojyo didn't turn around. "It was not my intention." Gojyo seemed to ignore him. "Will you at least let me fix your hair? I believe the appropriate term for what you have now is 'hot mess.'" This garnered a small chuckle, and Gojyo faced him with a small smile.

"Yeah, I'd appreciate that a lot."

When Sanzo got back, Hakkai was departing. Hakkai took Sanzo by the sleeve of his robe as he passed him and dragged him a few meters from the house. "Listen to me," he whispered, leaning close to Sanzo. "Do not broach the subject of his insomnia nor his other mental blocks again, not tonight. He cannot think we are cooperating on this, he will think we are conspiring against him, and he will completely shut the both of us out."

"What?" Sanzo scowled.

"Do you remember how he acted immediately after his rescue?" Sanzo nodded. "He will do that again," Hakkai declared firmly. "If he gets the idea that the pair of us are working together to do something to him, he will become paranoid and afraid of us, and we will have lost the battle. This runs deep, down through his core. We are going to need to work very, very slowly, and one of us is going to have to take charge. It will have to be you."

"And your reasoning?"

"You're the one who wants to have sex with him," Hakkai replied frankly. "If you're going to be the one touching him, then you're going to have to work through this with him. I will detail instructions for you, and we're going to go step by step. For now, treat him like you normally would. Just avoid the topics of his sleeping habits or your sex life."

"I will, then," Sanzo agreed, and Hakkai released his sleeve.

"Stay overnight, if you can. If nothing else, it'll keep him company." With that, Hakkai coaxed Hakuryu from inside his sleeve, who transformed into the Jeep, and the two set off down the road. Sanzo approached the door again and entered, relieved to find Gojyo bathing Yohei in the sink and humming off-key.

"You lied," Sanzo announced as he shut the door.

"Eh?" Gojyo took Yohei out of the water and dried his head.

"You said you looked awful with short hair," Sanzo explained, and moved closer. "You lied. It actually looks nice, done right."

"Y'think so?" Gojyo grinned brightly. "Nice of you to say, but it's a load of shit."

"Hmph." Sanzo smoothed his own hair back as Gojyo lay Yohei down and dressed him. "Perhaps by the time it grows out again, you won't have to worry about it getting spit-up in it."

"Guess it's just a sacrifice I had to make." He shrugged and took Yohei up again, smiling kindly at the boy. "Hey, big guy. All clean and happy now, right?" Yohei smiled, and Gojyo gawked. "Hey- he is happy!"

"That's his first smile, isn't it?" Sanzo leaned a little closer to Yohei, and found the corners of his lips upturning to match. Yohei yawned and pressed his head against Gojyo's chest, but Sanzo was still smiling. These small victories meant everything.

* * *

"We're just looking for small achievements here," Hakkai explained as he handed Sanzo a neatly written (if slightly coffee-splattered) directive. "You will need to be very patient, and go at his pace." Sanzo glanced over it.

"Hm." He looked back up at Hakkai. "How will this help him sleep?"

"This is about conquering his outward fears of being taken advantage of," Hakkai explained. Sanzo nodded and lit up a cigarette. "If you can get through his trauma, then you'll ease his mind. You yourself know what the problem is- no matter what he says, he can't separate you from a certain King of Rats, and your hands might as well be poison."

"I know." Sanzo put the paper into his rear pocket. "Where do I begin?"

"Might I suggest being honest? Don't tell him I'm involved, of course, but tell him what you want and what you're trying to do. He has to consent, or it's meaningless." Hakkai smiled, and continued on his way down the walk.

"One last question," Sanzo interrupted, halting Hakkai. "When do you sleep?"

"Me?" Hakkai chuckled. "I usually sleep while on stakeout. Hakuryu wakes me up if he spots my target. Thank you for your concern, but all things considered, I do alright for myself. In return, I'll ask you where Goku has been."

"He was asleep one night when I got back to the temple. He has remained asleep since." Sanzo shrugged. "I'm sure he'll be awake any hour now. I do worry that he'll get in the way."

"Leave him home or send him home when you're going to try and comfort Gojyo. He needs to be able to focus on you, and privacy will be welcome. If you'll pardon me, I should be home in ten hours or so." Hakkai left, and Sanzo entered the house. Gojyo was asleep at the kitchen table, a cooling mug of tea in front of him. Sanzo shook his head, took Hakkai's blanket off the futon and laid it over his shoulders and back, and set to work making formula.

The day passed fairly quietly. Sanzo found himself distinctly aware of everything going on around him- he was noticing the boys gradual maturing and wordlessly rejoicing that Yohei's first smile was no fluke, but in fact a precursor to what greeted him every time he looked into the boy's eyes. Eiji hadn't smiled yet- at least, not that either Sanzo or Gojyo had seen- but now each of them were watching his every little shift in hopes he would show them his smile. Sanzo also couldn't help but be wary of every motion he made towards Gojyo. Even the natural, ordinary motions of smoking a cigarette together were carefully watched, and he could see Gojyo's each reaction plain in his face whenever his hand got too close. Between giving bottles, playtime, and cleaning, Sanzo tried to think through the drudgery to figure out a path forward.

Hakkai arrived home close to sunset, a small parcel of money in hand and a large, oblong parcel balanced over his shoulder. He hung his jacket near the door and set both packages down. "Gojyo, I brought you a present!" He announced, distracting Sanzo from his staring contest with Eiji. Gojyo glanced over his shoulder and set down the bottle brush.

"What's up?"

"Particularly good haul today. I thought it was high time I helped you get the little ones out of the house." Hakkai smiled proudly as he began to open the large parcel he'd brought in. Gojyo put the bottle down to look closer, and Sanzo sat up, pulling Eiji onto his lap. Hakkai pulled away the paper. "Ta-da!" He chirped, revealing a disassembled stroller. Gojyo whistled.

"That's an awful nice pile of metal ya got there."

"I brought instructions." He held a piece of paper out to Sanzo, who took it and tried to read over it as Eiji reached to try and swat it aside. "I'll just go start on dinner if you'd like to try and put that together."

"Whatever you say," Sanzo muttered, and he lifted Eiji up to put him in the bouncy seat alongside Yohei.

"You hangin' out here tonight?" Gojyo asked as Hakkai pulled off his shoes and went to put the money away.

"No, I think not. I've got a good lead on what seems to be a gang of human vigilantes, I'd like to keep tracking them once it gets dark," Hakkai replied. Gojyo rose his eyebrow and smirked.

"Whole gang, huh? Need a hand with that?"

"No," Hakkai and Sanzo replied, Sanzo accentuating his denial with a glare.

"Fine, fine." Gojyo sighed. "I'm gonna have a smoke." He shuffled outside, taking his cigarette box out of his jacket pocket and shut the door behind them. Sanzo set to work putting the stroller together, as Hakkai started putting dinner together.

"Terribly cold for him to be going out without a coat," Sanzo muttered.

"Oh, he's a man's man," Hakkai giggled. "You know, an idiot." Sanzo scoffed, and Hakkai continued, "I'll be gone all night. You're welcome to stay as long as you wish."

"I'll be here as late as I can."

"Is there any reason you don't stay nights?" Hakkai asked. Sanzo seemed to ignore him. "My, are you embarrassed?"

"Now is not the time for this conversation," Sanzo growled under his breath, throwing the bars of the stroller down. "Why did you give this to me? Since when do I assemble things?"

"Since you had infants who needed things assembled," Hakkai rebutted pleasantly.

"Hmph." Sanzo scowled, and continued trying to put the stroller together.

After dinner, Hakkai left again, and Sanzo spent much of the rest of the night trying to assemble the stroller. Before he knew it, it was time to bathe the babies. He joined Gojyo when he started to fill the sink, and started with Yohei. Yohei beamed up at them with his bright pink gums as Sanzo gently poured water over his head and chest.

"Ahh, cute," Gojyo interjected, as he held a naked Eiji in wait for his turn.

"Hm?" Sanzo looked up.

"No, no, keep goin'. Cute smile." Gojyo smirked at him.

"I... I suppose it is cute," Sanzo murmured, and put a bit of shampoo into his hair.

"Not him- okay, him too- but you." Sanzo drew his lips tight- he had only just realized he'd been smiling. He quickly rinsed Yohei's head, and took him out to dry him.

"Switch." He handed the towel-wrapped baby out and exchanged him with Eiji. Gojyo grinned a little wider.

"It's cute when you blush too."

"Quit flirting when you don't mean it," Sanzo groused, and Gojyo froze up. Sanzo silently realized he'd done wrong when Gojyo turned away, holding Yohei close, and left him to clean Eiji by himself. Eiji's eyes followed his right hand as he scrubbed him and wiped him clean.

As he pulled Eiji out of the sink and drained it, Eiji reached up for his face. Sanzo met his eyes, and Eiji's lips spread in a small smile. Sanzo kissed him between the eyes. "Thank you," he said quietly, and carried him into the bedroom. Gojyo was sitting on his bed, staring at the wall. Sanzo dressed Eiji and laid him in the crib, next to Yohei. Sanzo put his hand near the window. "It's drafty. I'll block it with a towel, but we should try to reseal it before winter sets in." Gojyo said nothing, chewing his lip. Sanzo took Eiji's wet towel and rolled it up, then tucked it tight against the sill.

"I'll..." Sanzo turned when Gojyo finally spoke. "I'll take care of it tomorrow."

"Gojyo-"

"Kou, please." Gojyo sighed. Sanzo sat down on the bed beside him. "I don't know what to tell you."

(**Suggested Track: "Perfect Fit," The Dresden Dolls**)

Sanzo slowly edged towards Gojyo. Gojyo couldn't make eye contact, but Sanzo fixed his gaze on him and folded his hands on his knees. "I'm not asking you to tell me anything."

"I know there's something wrong with me, Kou. Look at me." He ran his hand up the back of his head. "I know I'm fucked."

"There's nothing wrong with you," Sanzo assured him gently. He let one hand creep towards Gojyo's foot. "You've had some bad experiences. You've been hurt, and badly." He let the words sink in. "And you were hurt by someone you thought was me."

"But I know better than that. I ain't an idiot," Gojyo mumbled, curling his feet in tighter. Sanzo pulled himself up onto the bed, edging closer to the wall. Somehow, the childish decorations and the smiling bumblebees on the wall felt sharply out of place against the darkness etched into Gojyo's brow.

"It still affects you. I understand. Please look at me." Sanzo started to reach out to touch Gojyo's face, to tilt his chin towards him, but stopped when he remembered how Gojyo had cringed the last time he'd tried to touch him. After nearly a minute of silence and stillness, Gojyo willed himself to look Sanzo in the face.

"It shouldn't be that hard," he mumbled.

"No, it shouldn't." Sanzo agreed. Gojyo put his head in his hands.

"Kou, you have no idea how much I-"

"I do know how much you want our entanglement to work." Sanzo settled his back to the wall, his shoulder close to Gojyo's. "And yet, I know I can't touch you. I cannot forget what happened when last we tried..."

_Nearly a year ago, it had been a cold, lonely day on the road, and the party had made camp by the side of the road near a field for the night. Hakkai was asleep with Hakuryu curled up in his shirt, Goku was using his clothes as a pillow, and Gojyo was sitting awake, smoking a cigarette while sitting on a rock, staring at the mountains ahead of them. Sanzo stood nearby, taking in one last smoke for the day as well._

_ "Beautiful night," Gojyo murmured, glancing up. "You can see all the stars and everything this far out."_

_ "Yeah," Sanzo acknowledged blankly._

_ "Hey," Gojyo suddenly looked up at him. "You... you wanna fool around?" Sanzo pondered this, and casually examined his face._

_ "You sound ambivalent."_

_ "Nah, if you're willing, I am." Gojyo shrugged. Sanzo thought for a moment._

_ "It's been some time. I suppose it'd be alright."_

_ "Shit, you say I sound ambivalent?" Gojyo teased, and Sanzo rolled his eyes. He cast off his robe and shirt and lay them behind the rock Gojyo was perched on._

_ "They're soundly asleep. Twenty meters should be adequate. Find me when you're ready." With that, he wandered out into the fields and waited in a patch of dried weeds. A few minutes later, he heard the sound of wheat-stalks brushing against one another, and Gojyo came into his clearing, his shirt, jacket, and shoes discarded. _

_ "You ready, or you need me to set you up?" Gojyo smirked. Sanzo shrugged._

_ "You tell me." He unbuttoned and unzipped his pants, but Sanzo realized Gojyo wasn't smiling anymore. He stared at Sanzo's package, and swallowed hard. He forced a smile._

_ "Guess... I could help." He knelt down and reached for it, but froze as his hand came close. His eyes went wide and distant. He suddenly jerked himself backwards, laughing nervously. "Maybe... if I take off my clothes too..."_

_ "Are you alright? Are you cold?" Sanzo asked, sitting up._

_ "I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine," Gojyo muttered quickly, and slid his pants down. Sanzo could see his legs were trembling._

_ "If you don't want to do this, I'm not going to force you." Sanzo started to clothe himself, but Gojyo dropped to his knees._

_ "No- please- I do want to, I swear!" He put his hands on the ground and bowed his head. "Just- just do it. I won't complain. I want it. It's 'cause you love me, right? You said you loved me, and all, so I owe you for that-"_

_ "Gojyo, sex is not a currency," Sanzo hissed._

_ "But you love me, so you want me, right?" His voice was dull, filled with resignation. "I ain't got nothin' else to give you, so I have to, right? I know y-you ain't gonna hurt me, not like he did. My body ain't somethin' you wanna use, but you love me, so it's what you want-" _

_ Sanzo put his mouth close to Gojyo's ear and hissed, "There is much more to it than that!" _

_ "It's all I got," Gojyo whispered. "Please take it." Sanzo noticed the tears sliding down his cheeks and staining the ground under him._

_ "You're asking me to violate you. I will never-" As Sanzo took hold of Gojyo's shoulder, Gojyo cried out and flailed back as though he were in pain. Gojyo looked up and realized he was a meter away from Sanzo now. He shifted back to his knees stared at the ground as the tears came harder._

_ "I... I'll hold still- c-cause you love me-"_

_ "Gojyo-"_

_ "Please don't take it back! I don't care if it hurts me! I just want you to know I love you!" Gojyo cried out, reaching out for Sanzo. Sanzo promptly stood up. "Wait- don't go-"_

_ "I love you, as well," Sanzo murmured. He stared at his hands, then back down at Gojyo. "I will never take that back. And I do not need to even touch you to love you." He stepped around him and left him there, certain in his own mind that it was the kindest thing he could do..._

"It is as I said then. I do not need to touch you to love you. I have been satisfied," Sanzo said carefully. Gojyo did not make a sound. "We have our camaraderie. We have our shared experiences. We have our Mah-jong and card games and our quiet contentment. We have our sons. But if there is even a small part of you that wants more, I want you to have it."

"Of course I want more, you idiot," Gojyo sniffled, rubbing his eyes. "You never asked-"

"Because I knew it hurt you. I tried to ask, but I can't stand the thought of you being afraid of me." Sanzo held his arm out, and Gojyo winced. Sanzo scowled. "Dry your eyes." Gojyo timidly took Sanzo's sleeve and obeyed.

"What do you want me to do?" Gojyo asked weakly.

"If you're willing to try, I want you to become re-accustomed to my touch. It seems to hurt you, and I will not hurt you." Sanzo slid slightly closer to him. "If you'll let me try, I want to try and put my hands on you in a way that will not make you recoil in fear."

"I want that," Gojyo agreed, though almost under his breath.

"Can I try now?" Sanzo offered. Gojyo silently considered it.

"What... what're you gonna do?"

"I'm going to put my right hand on your left shoulder."

"Oh." Gojyo sounded somewhat disappointed.

"Will that be alright?"

"It... doesn't seem like much."

"When is the last time you have let my hands touch you?" Sanzo did not sound like he was genuinely asking, but Gojyo had no answer.

"Specifically the right hand, huh?" Gojyo mused, and he moved to remove his shirt.

"No, clothes on." Gojyo rose his brow, and Sanzo raised his hand. He remembered the part of the instructions that Hakkai had labeled as 'Cognitive resonance,' and repeated the mantra Hakkai had suggested. "Listen to me: I am Kouryuu. I am your lover. I will not hurt you." He slowly reached out. "I am going to touch you."

Gojyo flinched as Sanzo's hand came closer, but he felt his touch through his shirt. He had forgotten how warm his palm was. He shuddered- his mind flashed, but Sanzo kept reassuring him:

"I will not hurt you. I love you. I will not hurt you."

After ten seconds, Sanzo removed his hand. It felt like a weight had raised from Gojyo's chest, and he gasped as though he'd come from underwater. He rubbed his eyes again, and Sanzo pulled back.

"Was that so bad?" He asked. Gojyo shook his head.

"I... I guess we just need to practice."

"Can I touch you one more time?" Gojyo braced himself, but nodded.

"Yeah. Try it."

"Right hand, left shoulder." Sanzo extended his hand again. "This hand will not hurt you. I love you, and I will not hurt you."

Gojyo did not flinch when Sanzo rested his palm on his shoulder. The warmth was oddly soothing, and for the first time in a long time, the touch did not make him think of tainted, poisoned hands. Sanzo whispered in his ear again, "I am your lover. I will not hurt you."

"I know," Gojyo murmured, and Sanzo pulled his hand away. "I..." Gojyo choked- when had the tears come back?- and mumbled, "I know you won't hurt me. You're too good to me."

"I'm only doing what any lover would do-"

"No, you ain't. You've put up with my dumb ass this long without me givin' you anythin' in return." Gojyo rubbed his eyes, and Sanzo held out his sleeve again.

"I told you, I don't need to touch you-"

"But it's all I'm good for, isn't it?" Gojyo protested, tears flooding forth. Sanzo shook his head.

"I will convince you otherwise. Some way or another, I will."

"But you still say you love me!" Gojyo continued, wiping his face on his own sleeve. He sobbed for a moment. Sanzo clasped his hands in his lap.

"Until you are more comfortable with my touch, I will ask permission to put my hands on you. I want to put my arm over your shoulder to comfort you. May I please do so?" Gojyo kept crying, but nodded yes. Sanzo wrapped his right arm around to rest his hand on Gojyo's right shoulder, and Gojyo fell against his chest, weeping.

"You're really gonna ask?" Gojyo sobbed. "Every time?"

"I have no right to your body," Sanzo murmured, his usual flat tone colored softly with affection. "I will love you whether or not you let me touch you. I will love you whether or not we can fix our problems. Nothing will change that." Gojyo still cried onto Sanzo's shoulder, and Sanzo held him with one arm and listened as he tried to choke back his sobs. "We'll get better. I promise. Everything will get better."

When Hakkai arrived back in the morning, Sanzo was asleep on his futon in the living area. He went to look in on Gojyo, who was asleep in his bed, with the sheets tucked too-neatly in around him. Both babies were asleep in their crib, and Eiji was smiling in his sleep. Hakkai smiled to himself as he returned to the kitchen to cook breakfast. The world felt better already.

* * *

**End Notes:** Ahh, that song gives me chills every time. I especially love the shift/reference to "Hello, I Love You" at the very end. (That band does a lot of neat things like that. My favorite one is the Rolling Stones joke in "The Jeep Song." I don't think I'll be making it a suggested track, but it is a catchy little homage to 60's-style American girl groups.)

So, what do you think will happen next? Predictions, questions, comments? Leave a review!

(Oh, and pick a god and pray to him for me. I've got an interview next week!)

Don't forget to review, new chapter in two weeks!


	4. Stepping Stones

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author Notes:** One week. I could have waited one week to start posting this, and I wouldn't have bloody projects due the Wednesday before I post a chapter! I am so glad next week is spring break. Thanks for the kind wishes on the interview. (No dice, unfortunately, but hey, I tried.)

Review responses!

RodiSquall- I'm so sorry about your pet, I can only hope they're not in pain. Also- Sorry I made Gojyo cut his hair off! I prefer him with long hair too, but sometimes, sacrifices must be made. And yes, I would not have continued this story without addressing the trauma Gojyo faced. He might be able to suppress it, but he will _never_ be over it. As to the frilly aprons... hmmm. Maybe not this chapter, but I'll see what I can do.

Airenya- Gojyo, pregnant again? I don't know about that, two little boys is a lot to handle! Plus, Gojyo only got pregnant last time because Kanzeon Bosatsu wanted to give him the boys back. But hey, who knows what the future will hold? As to Doku showing up, well, the window of opportunity is still open. Oh, and why the guys didn't get any reward- they did. The gods offered them the reward of Paradise. Remember, it was a mission given by the Three Aspects of Buddha, and Buddhism rejects material wealth and worldly goods (even my unfortunately Orientalist ass knows that.) Giving them a financial reward for doing the gods' work would have been kind of hypocritical. Although, they did not take the Gold Card back, and I doubt they will. Sanzo is free to spend as he chooses, but as we've seen, Gojyo and Hakkai are just too stubborn to accept his help. Masculinity, am I right?

KakashiisWifey- Ooh, you called it. I deliberately did not use the term PTSD because not a damn one of the guys would know it, except maybe Hakkai. But yes, when I was researching for this story, I was looking at PTSD, especially at how it would manifest in victims of sexual assault. And yes, I cry at the song too.

Dragon77- Ah, Goku's okay! He's just a little narcoleptic. It must be exhausting, trying to divide your time between Earth and Heaven. I'm sure he'll tell us all about it when he's ready.

Without further ado!

Disclaimer: Nnnnnnnope. Still not mine.

* * *

**4: Stepping Stones**

The next few months, to Sanzo's mind, were a series of side-by-side milestones. He briefly considered writing down the days each one occurred, but he worried that Gojyo might find such a journal and find it unnerving. Still, he did his best to try and remember each one:

Approximately nine weeks after bringing the boys home, while walking through the neighborhood with Yohei in the stroller, Gojyo heard him laughing, saw his eyes crinkle with glee something in his unfathomable little mind. It was brief, but Gojyo was excited enough to roll right back to the house halfway through his route to tell Sanzo. Eiji followed up six days after that, but this time, Sanzo was sure he was giggling because he'd managed to knock the cup off of his privates while Sanzo was changing him.

"Your sense of humor is less sophisticated than theirs!" Sanzo barked as he washed his face and Gojyo tried not to die of laughter.

Four days later, Sanzo got permission to touch somewhere other than Gojyo's shoulder- the leg. Gojyo shivered as Sanzo's hand came towards him, but he seemed relieved when his fingers landed on his lower leg. He rolled his hand to let his palm sit against the muscle, his caress smooth and gentle. He could still feel his skin quivering, and Gojyo covered his eyes with his hands.

"I hate feelin' this vulnerable."

"Then I'll stop." Sanzo moved to withdraw his hand, but Gojyo grabbed his wrist.

"No, I ain't givin' up." He slid Sanzo's hand up to his knee. Sanzo made no motion to rub it, instead simply letting it sit. "You ain't hurtin' me."

"No, I'm not. I will not hurt you," Sanzo added, repeating the assurance.

* * *

At eleven weeks of age and on a day where the snow forbade them from going outside, while playing on a colorful blanket Sanzo had gotten for them, Sanzo noticed Eiji putting his hands under his chest and pushing down. "Gojyo, look," he urged quietly. Goku, who had been drafted into sorting laundry, paused to glance over. Gojyo looked up from rubbing Yohei's back, and beamed.

"What are you playin' at, ya little brat?" Gojyo teased as he shifted a little closer to Eiji. Eiji grunted, still pushing his hands down, then rocked his body from his belly to his back. Gojyo's jaw fell. "Hey-"

"That's amazing!" Goku squealed. He dropped the socks in his hand and got on his elbows in front of Eiji. "Roll this way!"

"He ain't done that before!" Gojyo beamed, and he scooped Yohei up into his lap, letting him sit against his back. Sanzo nodded.

"I believe that's the first step in him becoming independently mobile." Sanzo realized he was smiling again, but made no effort to hide it.

"You're gonna be next, kiddo!" Gojyo chirped to Yohei. "You and he are gonna be racin' round the house in no time!" Yohei cooed up at Gojyo, and Gojyo grinned with glee. "Ahh, you guys are gettin' better every day!"

The night after that, Sanzo asked permission to touch Gojyo's back. He repeated the now-familiar mantra, sitting behind Gojyo as he sat at the edge of his bed, facing the window and the crib. "So, are you gonna, like, give me a back rub?" Gojyo asked, glancing over his shoulder.

"I'm not certain we're quite ready for that." Sanzo folded his legs tight under him. "But you may want me to touch your back, or touch you from behind."

"I might be interested, yeah," Gojyo teased, rolling his eyes. "Look, just try me."

"Right index finger, three centimeters left of your spine, midway down your back." He stretched out and tapped Gojyo on the back, just touching the tip against his shirt. Gojyo shivered and jerked away, and Sanzo withdrew his hand. "I did not intend to surprise you."

"N-no, n-n-no," Gojyo stammered, shaking his head. "Just... you just gave me the shivers, is all. Go, go again."

"I promise, I will not hurt you." Sanzo reached out again to touch Gojyo's back. He didn't recoil this time, but Sanzo could feel he was shaking. "I will not hurt you," he murmured. "I love you, and I will not hurt you."

"You ain't hurtin' me!" Gojyo protested, turning around. "Just, it tickles."

"It tickles," Sanzo repeated, frowning.

"Try your palm, not the finger. Just the fingertips makes me shiver." Gojyo grinned.

"I have your permission," Sanzo clarified flatly.

"Yes, dammit, go ahead!" Gojyo turned around again, and closed his eyes.

"I will not hurt you," Sanzo murmured, almost out of habit. He laid his palm flat against the small of Gojyo's back. He could still feel Gojyo shivering, but he soon calmed down, the goosebumps sinking back into his skin.

"Your hand is warm. It feels nice." Gojyo sighed with relief. Sanzo nodded to himself, and withdrew it. "Hey, why'd you stop?"

"Because I don't want to overexpose you. You should react to my touch, at least a little," Sanzo explained curtly. "I'll cease exposure for the moment, and begin after you've had time to relax again."

"Wait, so you're deliberately tryin' to surprise me?" Gojyo turned over his shoulder, eyebrow raised.

"Not exactly. Just trying to ensure you don't become numb to me."

"Oh. That's okay then." Gojyo turned back around, hiding a childish grin. "Touch me!"

It was around this time Sanzo began to consistently stay overnight at Gojyo and Hakkai's house two nights each week.

* * *

The next development was entirely accidental. Hakkai had showed Gojyo how to sit the babies up, using pillows and rolled blankets to prop them up. "This will help build the strength in their back muscles, see?" He'd explained, and Gojyo agreed. As such, when playing with them, Gojyo would sit the boys up sometimes, while leaving them on their stomachs the other half- as Hakkai had also instructed, "They're still learning to lift their heads, those muscles are still developing too." On this particular day fifteen weeks after bringing the boys home, Gojyo had entrusted supervision of playtime to Goku while he took the laundry through the washboard.

"Goddamn shit, am I a housewife or what?" He moaned to himself as he hauled the basket past the play blanket and over Goku and Yohei. Yohei was sitting up against the blanket, holding a toy boat as Goku waved a plush octopus at him. Gojyo's foot caught the blanket behind Yohei, knocking it out of place, but Yohei did not topple backwards. Instead, he leaned a little closer to the octopus, jabbing the bow of the boat at it. Goku noticed that the blanket was gone, and gasped.

"Hey, hey, he's sitting up on his own!" He yelped, but the surprise of Goku's voice caused Yohei to fall sideways. He laughed raucously, as Goku panicked. Gojyo rushed back.

"What the hell'd you do to my kid, you bastard?!"

Both Yohei and Eiji laughed childishly as Gojyo scolded Goku and drilled his knuckle against his head, but Gojyo promptly stopped when he saw Yohei sit himself up again. He dropped Goku to the floor and got on his knees to praise him. "Attaboy, kiddo! You're doin' it like a pro!"

Sanzo was pleased to be present later that day when Gojyo tried the same with Eiji. Eiji remained upright for all of three seconds, before falling backwards. Gojyo caught him this time, but still smiled warmly down at him. "You'll get it soon enough," he chuckled.

"It's better than nothing," Sanzo agreed, and fluffed Eiji's hair as he reached to push the pillow back into place behind him.

* * *

At seventeen weeks of age, after six weeks of seeing Eiji rolling from his back to his front and vice-versa, as well as three of Yohei doing the same, they took the next step towards mobility, perhaps in the most literal fashion possible. Hakkai had made a few recommendations for how to ensure the twins were developing well, at least as well as he could to their parents.

"They're both sitting up on their own now, aren't they?" Hakkai asked as he flipped through a baby book. Gojyo was washing the dishes, as Sanzo took in a cigarette out the window.

"Eiji does sometimes, Yohei pretty consistently," Sanzo replied.

"Ah. Well, perhaps you should try to start them standing."

"What'cha mean?" Gojyo glanced around.

"You know, trying to pull them up to a stand."

"Sounds cruel." Gojyo wrinkled his nose and turned away.

"It's not. They need to exercise their legs," Hakkai insisted.

"Sure, whatever." Gojyo rolled his eyes. "I don't wanna hurt them, pull their little arms outta their sockets or anything..."

"You won't," Hakkai giggled. "Babies are like rubber, as long as you don't throw them at the wall, they'll be fine. I've met my share of little ones who survived things they perhaps shouldn't."

At this, both Sanzo and Gojyo turned towards one another. Gojyo turned around to Hakkai. "We've talked and decided- you're not allowed to babysit anymore."

"Oh, ha, ha," Hakkai chortled, and he closed the book up. "Have you done any reading?"

"Why bother? They're gonna do stuff when they're ready," Gojyo explained with a dismissive wave of his hand. Sanzo grumbled to himself in thought.

Later that same evening, as Gojyo washed Eiji in preparation for bed and Sanzo was playing with Yohei, Sanzo decided unilaterally to attempt Hakkai's suggestion. Yohei was sitting up, bouncing a large ball between his legs and laughing to himself. Sanzo crept around behind him and crouched behind him. He slipped his hands down and latched his fingers around Yohei's wrist. Yohei grabbed back, his little hand clasped tight around Sanzo's fingers. Sanzo carefully gripped him and gently lifted him up. Yohei whined, and Sanzo quickly put him back down. Yohei bounced his ball away, and futilely reached after it. Sanzo gathered his wits and took hold of Yohei's hand again.

"You're more resilient than that, aren't you?" Yohei looked up at him, eyes barely focused. He lifted Yohei again, cautiously pulling back so that his feet were under him. "There. And now you're standing," Sanzo murmured, and crouched down without moving his arms. "Good job," he congratulated him into his ear. Yohei's knees wobbled and buckled under him, but Sanzo caught him and broke his fall. Yohei giggled, to Sanzo's surprise. He chuckled briefly, and let Yohei sit down before stepping around him and rolling his ball back to him.

"Did you say something, Kou?" Gojyo called to him.

"Nothing interesting." He replied coolly, and leaned a little closer to Yohei. "We can practice before we tell him, right?"

* * *

Eighteen weeks after the boys had come home, Sanzo hit something of a wall with Gojyo. He had made progress in order to touch all of Gojyo's back, his legs between the feet and knees, and his shoulder and hands, but though Gojyo was giving permission for him to touch other places, whenever he did Gojyo started to shake and recoil. After consulting with Hakkai during one of their brief path-crossings, Sanzo took up another tact.

"I've made a list of places that I cannot yet touch," Sanzo started, laying a piece of paper on the dinner table. Gojyo had been confused when Sanzo had beckoned him from the bedroom, and he was already uncomfortable with the gist of this exercise.

"You can, you know, I'm giving you permission."

"Yes, but you are only giving me permission because that's what you think I want to hear. I want permission when you are comfortable."

"Fine, whatever." Gojyo snorted. "You made a list?"

"Yes." Sanzo slid the paper towards him. Gojyo silently read it over. "I would like you to rank the areas you are most and least comfortable with me touching."

"I'm okay with you touching me all of these places," Gojyo muttered, shoving the paper back towards him. Sanzo promptly moved it back to Gojyo.

"Please treat this seriously. I want you to imagine me putting my hands on these places. Rank them on a scale of one to five, with one being little to no discomfort and five-" Sanzo suddenly moved around the table and put his mouth directly against Gojyo's ear- "Five is the instinct to scream and piss yourself like you want to right now."

Sanzo rubbed the bruise on his cheek as Gojyo hurriedly filled out the sheet. "I need a drink," he grumbled, and rushed out without his jacket. Sanzo quietly reviewed the markings Gojyo had made:

"Hand- 2. Upper arm/shoulder- 1. Upper leg- 3. Neck- 4. Face- 5. Genitals/hindquarters- 4."

"Unexpected," he murmured to himself, and went to the icebox for a piece of meat.

It took three days for Sanzo to work up the nerve to touch Gojyo again, and he started with the upper bicep. Gojyo didn't react, seemingly withholding it until Sanzo withdrew his hand, at which point he shuddered and shivered.

"Once more," Sanzo offered. "Remember, I will not hurt you." Gojyo did not reply, but he stopped shaking as Sanzo caressed his upper arm. When Sanzo withdrew again, Gojyo lifted his head.

"At least warm your damn hands up," he grumbled, and Sanzo sighed with what sounded like relief.

* * *

February came on strong, with windstorms rattling the little cottage almost nightly. Sanzo had started to stay over three nights out of the week, but frequent funerals- the cold was always hardest on the sick and elderly, wasn't it?- were keeping him out of the house and busy during the day. Fortunately, Goku would come to help (which usually meant playing with the babies while Gojyo did chores.) Hakkai was in the house a bit more often as well, occasionally sleeping at the house overnight. It seemed criminals were ill-suited to the cold as well. Thankfully, once February drifted into March, the twins now usually slept through the night, and wouldn't even wake or cry for loud noises anymore, making it easier for everyone to sleep. The only time this ever was a problem was when both Sanzo and Hakkai wanted to stay over the same night.

"Good night, Yohei," Sanzo murmured to the first, who was already asleep at one end of the bed. He kissed the infant just above his eyebrows, and moved to the other end. "Good night, Eiji," he added, and kissed him on his cheek. The wind outside blew, as if to remind him it was still there, and Sanzo put his hand near the bottom of the window. He glanced over his shoulder to Gojyo. "I still feel a draft here," he grumbled. Gojyo groaned from his spot on the edge of his bed, where he'd been filing his fingernails.

"I swear, I keep caulking the damn thing."

"The lock on the window looks like it's broken, too." Sanzo frowned as he jiggled the latch.

"I'll add it to Hakkai's provisions list for when he goes shopping." Gojyo sighed and got to his feet. He kissed each baby, then straightened up and kissed Sanzo on the cheek. "Gonna stay?"

"I suppose so." Sanzo shrugged, then returned Gojyo's affection with a kiss on the lips. "I'll be in the other room, wake me once they do."

"You're sure you don't wanna just stay in here?" Gojyo winked, and Sanzo sighed with dismay.

"You and I both know that's a bad idea." He pulled away, hands at his sides. "Good night."

"G'night," Gojyo murmured as Sanzo turned to leave. "Love you."

"And I, you," Sanzo replied, and closed the bedroom door behind him. Hakkai was finishing putting the dinner dishes away, already wearing his pajama pants (which tonight, happened to have cow spots printed on them) and he turned to Sanzo, eyebrow raised.

"Are you staying tonight as well?"

"I had intended such."

"I see." Hakkai put the dishes down and folded his arms. "Where?"

"Hm?" Sanzo frowned, when he realized what Hakkai meant- he had been sleeping on Hakkai's futon, but he had almost completely forgotten that it was, indeed, _Hakkai's_ futon. The two stared at one another in silent confrontation, until Sanzo sighed and relented.

A few hours later, after Gojyo rolled out of bed and took a shrieking Eiji from the crib, he stumbled out to the den to find Hakkai asleep on the futon and Sanzo on the floor, using the boys' play blanket as a mat and a spare blanket and pillow. He promptly sat up when Gojyo entered. Gojyo chuckled wearily. "You weren't even asleep, were you?"

"I was trying," Sanzo muttered, and got to his feet to help. "Not the easiest thing when your mattress smells like baby spit and old milk."

It was because of this less-than-ideal sleeping situation that Sanzo nearly missed the next milestone. Once the boys hit nineteen weeks of age, Hakkai had brought home high-chairs for the boys to sit in at the table, allowing Sanzo and Gojyo to offer them soft food from a spoon. It had not gone well thus far, with Gojyo having more boiled, mashed radishes in his hair than he'd gotten into either one's mouth- or even both combined. On the second day of this effort, Sanzo was already weary with breakfast. Rice porridge completely covered the front of his robe and Yohei squealing and reaching for the spoon, far too eager to continue his "artwork." He was still exhausted after a poor night's sleep, and could not imagine how Gojyo was maintaining his cool as Eiji splattered his porridge onto the table.

"Come on, kiddo!" Gojyo laughed as Eiji grabbed a handful off the table and threw it at him, laughing the entire time. "How the hell do you do this- where's that goddamn baby book!" Gojyo began to rummage around the kitchen, and Sanzo sighed deeply, loading his spoon with another mouthful of porridge.

"Say 'ah,' Yohei," he yawned, covering his mouth with one hand, and he held the spoon out. Gojyo chuckled.

"Yohei, listen to your Papa!" Yohei turned around when he heard his name, and Sanzo still held the spoon out.

"Yohei, here," Sanzo murmured, and Yohei turned back to him. Gojyo suddenly froze, putting the spoon down. Eiji grabbed it and threw it aside as Gojyo edged closer to Yohei. Sanzo realized what had caught his attention.

"Yohei?" Gojyo said, and Yohei faced him.

"Yohei," Sanzo chimed in, and Yohei turned around again.

"He knows his name." Gojyo grinned with glee. "He knows his name! That's right, you're Yohei, aren't you?" He kissed Yohei all over his forehead, clearly immensely proud. Sanzo, too, smiled, until he realized he'd set the spoon down. Yohei promptly grabbed it and waved it at Sanzo's face, which resulted in a blotchy coat of porridge across his forehead and cheeks.

"Names are fine. We need to work on well-mannered eating habits," Sanzo grumbled, and put his head down on the table.

* * *

Sanzo made the next stride with Gojyo two weeks later. Progress had been very slow, even after Sanzo had adjusted his tactics based on the "discomfort ranking" he'd coerced Gojyo into making. He was certain he knew why, as well- he probably should not have attempted to deliberately trigger Gojyo's trauma, and he could not help but feel guilty for it. As such, he hadn't gotten any further than the shoulder. It had nagged at him quite long enough, and so on this night, when Gojyo sat on his bed to wait for Sanzo to start their session, Sanzo instead stood by the crib, facing him but not moving.

"Something wrong?" Gojyo asked quietly, fidgeting in his lap.

"I could ask you the same," Sanzo replied. "I feel like we have made no progress for some time."

"Are... are you mad?" Gojyo frowned, and Sanzo shook his head. "Then what the hell are you getting at?"

"I made a mistake before- I chose to scare you in order to make you listen to me. That was cruel and wrong. I should be punished in some manner for wronging you such."

"What? No, that's not how this works." Gojyo rubbed his brow. "You did something dumb, I ain't gonna beat you up or anything."

"Then how can I help you? I still don't know how to resolve your assumed powerlessness." Sanzo thought for a moment. "Unless..."

"Unless?"

"Dominate me." Sanzo pulled off his shirt, and Gojyo flinched. "What?"

"I... I don't wanna do that!" Gojyo cried out anxiously, digging his hands into his hair. "I can't do that-"

"You mean you don't want to be on top of me." Sanzo frowned.

"You don't like it, do you? You were miserable when I was doing that to you night after night," Gojyo mumbled, head hung. "I won't make you feel like that again. I can't hurt you like that."

"Would I really have let you do that if it hurt me?" Sanzo finally took a few steps closer. "I will not say I enjoyed it, but I did not dislike that experience. Any misery you might have seen was little more than weariness." He started to reach into his pocket for a cigarette, but stopped when he remembered the babies were still in their crib only a few meters away. "I never complained, not once."

"But it's not somethin' you really want." Gojyo interlaced his fingers, curling his knees to his chest.

"Neither do I want or not want it. I want you to be happy. Will making love to me make you happy?"

"No," Gojyo mumbled. "I'd rather jack off than put it in you."

"I understand. Would you like me to do it?" Sanzo peeled off his glove, flexing his fingers. Gojyo's jaw fell.

"You gotta be shitting me."

"No, I wouldn't. I know my hands are still poison, but if you're willing to let me close, I'd be happy to relieve you." Gojyo stared at him, and finally let a smirk cross his cheeks.

"Okay, but if I start getting squeamish, you'll have to use your mouth."

Gojyo shuddered back at Sanzo's first touch, but Sanzo withdrew, rubbed his hands together to warm them, and continued. Gojyo flinched several times, prompting Sanzo to draw back, but after ten minutes of uncomfortable massage, Gojyo finally begged him to stop. Sanzo was kind enough to finish what he'd started, as promised, and he considered the night victorious. The very next evening, Gojyo allowed Sanzo to massage his upper thigh without complaint. He closed his eyes, but smiled.

* * *

It was almost appropriate that the snow melted away the very next day, that Spring began, and the weather began to warm. Sanzo began to take the boys out in the stroller one at a time, humming softly as they passed by the trees in bloom. Sometimes, he noticed neighboring housewives staring at him, whispering over their laundry hanging on the line, and couldn't help but bring it up with Gojyo.

"What, you think they're talking about us?" Gojyo chuckled at the suggestion. Sanzo scowled back. "I doubt it. It's not like we're strollin' down the street holding hands. Why don'cha make conversation?"

"Why would I do that?"

"I dunno. I mean, they are my neighbors and all." Gojyo shrugged his shoulders. "We're all kinda in the same boat- mostly broke, lots of their husbands are working on the farms or shit jobs in town, most of 'em have way too many kids for their paychecks. I guess it wouldn't hurt to introduce the kids to them. Boys are gonna need playmates one of these days."

"Playmates," Sanzo repeated, clearly thinking.

The next afternoon, when Sanzo took Eiji out for a walk through the neighborhood, he spotted two women putting out their laundry. He also noticed a small gaggle of children of various ages running and chasing each other in the grass between their houses. He nodded towards them, and one of them giggled as the other waved back.

"Good afternoon," Sanzo greeted them as pleasantly as he could force himself to sound.

"Aren't you the High Priest, Genjo Sanzo?" The giggler asked. Sanzo nodded, and she giggled again.

"Whatever are you doing out here?" The more mature matron asked.

"My companions and I have been sharing responsibilities in raising some foundlings," Sanzo explained plainly, and he lifted Eiji from the stroller under his arms. "This is Eiji." Both women promptly cooed and squealed over him.

"Look at his chubby cheeks! And what beautiful red hair!"

"Oh, I remember when mine were that young!" They prodded and poked at him, both giggling, and Eiji glanced up at Sanzo with an expression that might as well have screamed, 'Is this a joke?' Sanzo chuckled softly, and set Eiji back down.

"Making friends and influencing people already, hm?" He settled him in the seat, nodded to the women, and continued on his way. He couldn't help but admire how easily Eiji could make friends. 'Perhaps,' he thought, 'it's easier when you're cute.'

After hearing of this successful introduction, Gojyo tried the same thing the next day with Yohei in the stroller. He spotted a few of the housewives gathered around the well, each with a baby strapped to her hip. He waved to them cheerfully, grinning, but when the trio noticed him, they did not wave back. They stared. He realized it may not have been a good idea to stop, chewing his lower lip as he passed them by. He could hear some of their whispered gossip as he passed the well;

"Where did _he _get-"

"You think he knocked up one of his one-night-stands?"

"Which one? I don't think I've even seen him bring a girl home lately-"

"You know, I heard a rumor about _his_ kind-"

He made quick tracks for home after that. "My neighbors know me too well to make friends with now," he lamented to Yohei. Yohei didn't seem to mind, instead gazing curiously around at the flowers in bloom and the birds singing in the trees. Gojyo smiled as Yohei focused on a butterfly. "Must be easy, not having to worry about that sort of stuff. You'll make friends eventually, kiddo."

* * *

It was a few weeks into April that Sanzo discovered that the children were a bit more observant than he would have expected out of six-month-olds. It was one of the nights where he decided to go back to the temple after bathing the boys for bed, and he was finishing the night by putting the two to bed. "Good night, Eiji," he said softly, tucking the blankets down tight. "Good night, Yohei." He kissed both boys on the forehead. He realized that Yohei's eyes were wet, ready to cry. "Hm? What's wrong?" He touched Yohei's forehead- it felt cool. He knew he'd just fed and changed him, and he didn't smell the need for another diaper change. "Don't cry," he murmured, and wiped his tears dry. "I'll be back in the morning." He kissed Yohei one last time, and gazed down at him in thought for a lingering moment longer. Yohei lifted one chubby hand and waved "bye-bye," and Sanzo almost laughed. "You... you learned how to do that saying goodbye to me, eh?"

"Well, you leave when you gotta," Gojyo replied as he entered, Hakkai's baby book under his arm. Sanzo sighed, and Gojyo cocked his brow. "Hey, stop me when I'm wrong. You know you're welcome here."

"I can't stay every night."

"Why not?" Gojyo crossed his arms and scowled. Sanzo did not reply, but shook his head. "Ugh, fine. I'll..." He sighed. "I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Of course," Sanzo murmured, lowering his eyes, and left. Gojyo sank to his bed, and listened as Sanzo opened and shut the door. Eiji began to cry, and Gojyo started, confused.

"Kid, you ain't cried over noise in weeks," Gojyo muttered as he got up. Eiji kept crying, even when Gojyo picked him up and bounced him. He cried and cried, and Gojyo couldn't begin to imagine why. "You- both of you!" He realized that Yohei had started to sniffle as well. He held Eiji on one shoulder and took Yohei on the other. "Come on, guys, calm down. Daddy's here. Daddy's here, Daddy loves you." He hugged them both as best as he could, even as Eiji wailed and Yohei whined into his ears.

It took him twenty minutes to calm them down. Problematically, the same routine was repeated the next night Sanzo left after the twins had been put down. This time, Gojyo had the presence of mind to run to the door and call Sanzo back.

"What's wrong?" Sanzo demanded as he rushed back in and rounded the hallway into the bedroom. Almost instantaneously, the boys' crying turned into babbling, and both of them reached out to him. He frowned. "They-"

"They're crying 'cause you leave!" Gojyo declared, and picked up Eiji. Eiji calmed quickly, staring at Sanzo over Gojyo's shoulder. "Can you at least stay 'til they fall asleep?"

"Yes." Sanzo took up Yohei and settled himself on the edge of the bed. Gojyo leaned against the wall, swaying to comfort Eiji, and Sanzo began to sing softly. Gojyo could only catch a few words of it, and he couldn't recognize it at all. Still, it seemed to calm the babies down, and Gojyo couldn't complain.

* * *

After that night, Sanzo had to sing the twins to sleep before he left, helping prevent any bouts of separation anxiety. He also started to stay over four nights out of the week, made much easier by the fact that he didn't have quite as much to do around the temple and Hakkai was busy and out of the house again. It made the boys' problem about one-fourth less serious. The boys were growing faster than ever, and with secret training from Sanzo, they were starting to stand upright with only a little support, and sitting upright at will. They had also started to make more cogent sounds, forming syllables rather than shrieks. Gojyo's ears were ever perked whenever he heard "Da" come out of either mouth. However, it seemed that the adults were not the only ones they were communicating with. In mid-May, when the boys marked their seventh month, Gojyo and Sanzo saw something somewhat extraordinary.

It was playtime, and Goku was sitting and playing with the babies while Sanzo folded laundry and Gojyo was outside with a cigarette. Hakkai had brought home a set of stacking blocks in colors and shapes, and Goku, Yohei, and Eiji were sitting in a line, each working on their own tower.

"Mine's biggest," he bragged to Yohei on his left. Yohei looked up at him and laughed. He then reached over and pushed Goku's tower over. Goku squawked indignantly. "No fair! Cheater!" Eiji laughed at this, and grabbed some of Goku's blocks. Gojyo came back inside as Goku started trying to take his blocks back. He joined in, kneeling on the ground in front of the three.

"Hey, Daddy wants in!" He chirped, and took a few blocks from each of them.

"Hey, jerk, I was here first!" Goku whined. "I'm better than you at it anyway!" Gojyo snickered and started his tower.

"Nope, Daddy's the fucking champion of block towers."

"Watch it, you know they're listening," Sanzo warned from his seat on the futon.

"Whoops." Gojyo smirked as his tower passed Goku's in height. Over his blocks he noticed that Yohei and Eiji were catching up. He also realized that each were trading looks at the other's tower. He also realized that they were looking at one another. "Hey, Kou, you think these two know each other is there?"

"Why wouldn't they? They've shared a bed every night their entire lives," Sanzo shrugged.

"Well, yeah, 'cept I was looking at that baby book Hakkai got, and it was talking about something called 'object permanence.' Maybe they don't know each other yet." Gojyo backed away and watched the babies playing, and Goku cocked his head curiously.

"What is that?"

"Uh..." Gojyo scratched his chin. "It's kinda depressing, really. When babies are real little, they, uh, kinda forget things are there when they can't see them. So, whenever I left their view I stopped existing, and the next time they saw me I was completely new, at least in their heads. It's supposed to be around like three months or so they get the 'permanence' thing straight, so when Daddy vanishes and comes back, it's still the same Daddy."

"Hmph. Babies live in an existential crisis, do they?" Sanzo sounded disabused at this.

"Well, yeah, but that might also be the reason they started crying whenever you leave, too," Gojyo pointed out. "They started noticing Papa was gone." Sanzo scowled and continued folding the laundry with sharper motions. "But it was pretty rare that they were apart, so maybe having one another there all the time might'a confused them," Gojyo continued to Goku. "According to the book, they only realize they're kind of a separate entity when they're about three months too. I wonder if they know the other is a separate entity, if either one of 'em knows he has a brother."

It was at this moment Yohei chose to reach over and shove Eiji's tower to knock it over. Eiji shrieked and yelped, and knocked over Yohei's tower in response. Yohei began to cry and scream until Gojyo yanked him off the ground and put him in the corner.

"Little bastard, don't mess with your brother! You earned that!" He put Eiji in the opposite corner, leaving both infants to stare at the wall and cry. Goku burst out laughing. "What the hell's so funny?!"

"Dude, Yohei totally knows he has a little brother, and Eiji has to know he has a big brother! They're picking on each other and everything!" Goku observed gleefully. Gojyo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, though chuckling under his breath.

"I guess they do know."

"Interesting," Sanzo murmured. Gojyo turned and realized that Sanzo, too, had been smiling behind the laundry.

* * *

The nighttime, now that the boys were mostly sleeping six hours at a stretch, had seen some developments over the months as well. Sanzo had started breaking down more and more walls with his touch-reassurance each week. Most nights were spent in review, but Sanzo counted a new "conquered territory" for each week. Gojyo's upper thighs had been desensitized, his shoulders and upper arms were completely open to touch, his upper chest was fair game, his hands garnered almost no surprise, and he didn't even mind when Sanzo touched his back. Sanzo had narrowed Gojyo's flinch zones to four areas- his neck and face, his rear upper thighs, his genitals, and his stomach. Sanzo had first been surprised that brushing his fingers against Gojyo's navel (an accident made while touching his thigh) had elicited a shriek, that Gojyo scooted as close to the wall as he could, curled in the fetal position, even as Sanzo swore and pleaded:

"I love you, I won't hurt you! Please don't be afraid of me- what did I do?"

It made perfect sense in retrospect- Sanzo distinctly remembered how disgusted Gojyo had been when talking about the last man who had touched his stomach. He was certain to mention it to Hakkai the next time the two crossed paths, early the next morning. "I don't know how it got this bad," Sanzo admitted wearily.

"Because we let it sit," Hakkai replied somberly, and Sanzo lit up a fresh cigarette. "The issue was there almost immediately after the trauma, but because neither of us took action to correct it, he tried to fix himself by rationalizing everything. Things like, 'If nobody touches me, nobody can hurt me.' The problem is that it can go both ways, such as 'If someone touches me, they are going to hurt me.'" He sighed as he thought. "And areas that were violated are going to be more sensitive, they're going to have a higher trigger. I imagine he grabbed Gojyo by the face or neck, and of course he'd be terrified if you touch his middle. That was probably the area violated the most." Hakkai smoothed his hair back from his face and gazed down the road as he thought. "May I have one?" He held his hand out, and Sanzo passed him a cigarette and his lighter. He lit it and took a long drag. The cherry illuminated the wrinkles under his eyes. "You will still need to desensitize his stomach before you can be fully intimate with him again. After all, who knows where your hands might wander?" Sanzo rolled his eyes, as Hakkai took another long drag. "Keep your patience. You've made too much progress to panic now." He finished the cigarette with another soft sigh, and turned to make his way down the steps. "I'll be back for dinner, with any luck."

"You've been here all of half an hour," Sanzo pointed out.

"Has it been that long?" Hakkai glanced at the rising sun. "Hm. I'd best be on my way then."

"You can't keep doing this to yourself," Sanzo urged. "Your situation can't be this bad-"

"I honestly haven't had time to count our nest egg," Hakkai replied briskly. "But I know we spent more than we made over the winter, and I don't want to risk being without some form of buffer. Please do not offer assistance; I really am quite fine." He smiled his usual polite smile and was on his way before Sanzo could further protest.

Sanzo decided an extra step was necessary before he could continue the regular approach. That night, after the boys were asleep, Gojyo collapsed onto his bed, wiping his brow. "Man, they really know how to wear me out," he laughed softly, and ran his hands through his hair. "You stayin' the night tonight?"

"If you want me to." Sanzo sat on the edge of the bed.

"Well, yeah!" Gojyo grinned.

"Let's talk first." Sanzo crossed his legs butterfly-style under him and cupped his hands over his feet. "Last night, I hurt you. I'm sorry for that."

"Nah, I shouldn't have freaked out," Gojyo dismissed him quickly. "Did you wanna try and touch me again?"

"Not until we get things out into the open. We still can't go all the way because while you are willing to let me touch you, we haven't really discussed the root of all this." Gojyo straightened himself up, and Sanzo briefly glanced at him. His hair had started to grow back out, hanging around his ears in a shaggy mop, but it didn't hide the sorrow on his brow. "You, on some level, are still afraid of me."

"Kou, I ain't-"

"You still see some of your old nightmares in me. Can you at least admit that?" Sanzo turned and glared at him, and Gojyo jerked back, stunned.

"You really think I still th-"

"Yes."

"What a pain," Gojyo grumbled, slouching forward. "Look, I admit- I used to think some of that stuff." He forced himself to look at Sanzo. "But the longer we've gone on, the better it's been. I... I guess watchin' you with the boys has made me feel better." He grinned. "You get that smile on your face every once in a while. It kinda reminds me that you've been changing, you ain't as stiff as you used to be. It's not creepy, like it was when he smiled at me. I know you only do it when the boys do cute shit, but it reminds me that you're you, and that you do l-" he stopped, and edged back. "This is embarrassing you, ain't it?" Sanzo shook his head, and Gojyo lowered his eyes. "But you do love us." He crawled a little closer, and gave Sanzo a peck on the cheek. "And you love me." He settled himself next to Sanzo, took his wrist in his hand. "Even if you did hurt me before, I can't hold it against you." He tugged Sanzo's arm out, and smiled peacefully. "You are my lover, and you will not hurt me." He touched Sanzo's fingertips to his cheek, making himself shiver, but as Sanzo took the initiative to rub his cheekbone, he relaxed. "You..." He gulped nervously. "You will not hurt me." He moved Sanzo's hand down to his stomach, letting it rest at his waist, and let Sanzo's wrist go. Sanzo, stunned, couldn't move, and Gojyo's smile shifted to a smirk. "What, you checkin' out my abs or something? Man, I always knew my body was a temple, I might as well get a priest on there!"

Sanzo withdrew his hand to put his face in his palm. "You're... you're a special kind of stupid, aren't you?"

"I'm your favorite kind of stupid, asshole." Gojyo leaned forward, chin rested on the back of his hand. "So, I'm kinda tired, but you wanna play cards or something?"

"No, I'd rather..." Sanzo realized his hand was creeping towards Gojyo, and saw Gojyo's hand come out to meet it. The two met eyes, understanding silently passing between them.

"Okay," Gojyo agreed.

The two lay, hand in hand, on Gojyo's bed. Gojyo was asleep in only a few moments, but Sanzo stared at the ceiling, pride keeping him awake.

'He wants to sleep with you,' he reminded himself. 'He wants you to be here. You really have come a long way, haven't you?'

* * *

In the summer heat, shortly after Gojyo marked the boys' eighth month, the little family was reminded that forward motion was not just for the parents. Sanzo was out of the house, and Gojyo was cleaning the bottles while the boys were playing with their toys laid on the colorful blanket. He was making sure to peek over his shoulder every other minute to be sure neither of them were causing trouble. He stopped cleaning when he realized Yohei was not where he had been a minute earlier- he was instead on his hands and knees, gazing innocently towards the door. Gojyo put his things down and casually strolled over to the futon, looking over them as Yohei put one hand in front of him and then moved the opposite knee to match it, and began to bring himself forward.

"Holy shit, camera, camera, camera!" Gojyo exclaimed to himself as he dashed from the room and dug the camera out of the dresser. He rushed back, and saw Yohei had halted again. He was gazing around in serene wonderment, as though he himself were as amazed by his forward mobility as Gojyo. "Hey, do that again," Gojyo urged him, and got down on his knees in front of him. Yohei turned to him, blue eyes wide as they fixated on him. Gojyo instinctively knew what he had to do. He threw his arms wide. "Come to Daddy!"

When Sanzo got back from the temple, he was greeted at the door by Gojyo, who grabbed him around the shoulders, planted a kiss on his cheek, and bounded around him. "Watch the boys, I'll be back in a while!" Sanzo tried to speak, but was left with his hand out and his mouth open as Gojyo dashed out of view down the street towards town. He could only shrug to himself and went in. The twins were taking a nap in the crib, and Gojyo had left the morning paper over his pillow. He sighed, and made himself comfortable.

An hour and a half later, Gojyo arrived back and rushed to find Sanzo exactly where he'd expected him to be- reading the paper while sitting on the edge of his bed. "Sorry I had to run out, it was important." He yanked an envelope out of his pocket. "You won't believe what I had to go through to get the darkroom guy to develop the film this fast."

"You had to develop the camera?" Sanzo frowned. "I didn't think it was full."

"It wasn't. Had like seven shots on it. But they were really good ones!" He beamed and took out the latter three photographs. "Look, look!"

"Fine," Sanzo grumbled, and looked at the first photograph. Yohei was on his hands and knees, reaching for Gojyo and the camera. "Ah. Impressive." He looked at the next photograph- Yohei still on hands and knees, closer, smiling widely. "Hm." He turned to the last one- Yohei looking directly into the camera, part of his thumb on the lens.

"He did all that on his own," Gojyo informed Sanzo. Sanzo whipped his head around to look at him, and Gojyo beamed eagerly. "He just came to me!"

"He was crawling." Sanzo reiterated, running his hand through his hair anxiously. "Was this the first time?"

"Hell yeah!" Gojyo beamed, just shy of bouncing. "He did it all on his own!"

"That's... that's fantastic." Sanzo sighed, covering his eyes as his lips stretched across his cheeks. Gojyo grinned.

"You're doin' it again."

"Hm?" Sanzo looked back at him, his expression returning to neutral. Gojyo chuckled.

"Never mind."

Eiji began to crawl the very next day, but this time, Sanzo was there to watch, which promptly turned into a contest:

"Okay, put both of 'em over there, side by side." Gojyo crouched at the far end of the room, and Sanzo held both boys by the back of their shirts. "Let 'em go on my mark."

"Whatever you say. Hold still, Eiji," Sanzo sighed to the boy at his right hand. Eiji squirmed, trying to crawl anywhere but where Sanzo was facing him.

"Wait til they calm down a little!" Gojyo laughed, and held his hands out. "Okay, let them go. Come to Daddy, guys!" He patted the floor, beckoning them, and both boys perked up and began to make their way towards him. Sanzo rose and walked alongside them.

"Eiji's in the lead," he murmured, keeping a slow pace beside them. Eiji suddenly looked to the left, distracted by some sound, and Yohei inched ahead. "Ah, Yohei in the top spot."

"They're comin' round the bend!" Gojyo hooted as Eiji turned back to try and follow Yohei. Yohei stumbled again, and Eiji overtook him.

"Ah, Eiji in the top spot," Sanzo observed, and halted as Eiji reached Gojyo. Gojyo scooped him up, prompting a squeal. Yohei was only a second behind, and Gojyo grabbed him too.

"Good job, boys!" He beamed, hugging them both. Sanzo coughed into his hand to suppress a chuckle.

"We have our winner," Sanzo added, crouching down to touch his nose to Eiji's. Eiji cooed happily, and grabbed some of Sanzo's hair. Sanzo laughed aloud this time as he pulled away, and Gojyo grinned right along.

"I say they both win!" Gojyo grinned. "Now, what's their prize?"

"Hrm." Sanzo tilted his head, considering the boys. "I think a diaper change."

"Oh yeah, that would be good, wouldn't it?" Gojyo chuckled, and Sanzo knelt to pick up Eiji. They carried the boys into the bedroom, almost in unison, as Eiji babbled aloud happily. Sanzo couldn't help but feel he knew he'd won.

As Sanzo put Eiji down to change him, Gojyo hung near the window, bouncing Yohei in his arms. Yohei laughed and waved his hands, and Gojyo looked into his mouth. "Hey, I think he's getting a tooth!"

"Oh?" Sanzo glanced up briefly, as Eiji wiggled on the table, still chattering to himself.

"Yeah, I see a little lump in there. Bet he'll be ready for solid food soon!" Gojyo grinned.

"Might be teething soon, too," Sanzo observed.

"Ahh. Yeah, I guess we oughta get ready for that, too," Gojyo muttered, glancing down. He noticed something small and shiny on the ground under the window, picked it up and pocketed it. "Well, who knows what they'll do next?"

"Mhm. They really have come a long way." Sanzo sighed softly, contently, and he set Eiji down on the ground. "Pass." He opened his arms, and Gojyo passed Yohei. He took the opportunity to examine the metallic piece in his pocket. It looked distinctly like the window lock, except it looked like it had been chewed on or crushed. He put it back in his pocket, and turned to Sanzo.

"Who knows where we're gonna end up next?" Gojyo chuckled to himself, smiling at Sanzo's back, then glancing down at his feet, where Eiji was tugging on his pants leg. "We've come so far already."

"So we have," Sanzo agreed, hiding his smile behind his turned head and flat tone. "And the path ahead is clear."

* * *

**End Notes:** So, for the next two chapters, I'm having a little dilemma. See, I had planned for the next installment to be shorter, but because you all are so damn patient with me, I was going to give you a little treat and break my two-week waiting period on it. The question is, how exactly should I arrange it? Should I wait two weeks to post 4.5 and post 5 the week after that, or post 4.5 next week and post 5 two weeks after that? Opinions are welcome!

Thankfully, next week is my spring break, meaning I (in theory) get extra time to write! I'll even drop you guys a hint now: the title of chapter 4.5 is "Tempest."

With all that said:

Like it? Hate it? Review!

Questions, comments, suggestions? Review!

Until next time!


	5. Tempest

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author Notes: **I decided to give myself a little extra time on this, but I hope everyone agrees that it's worth it!

I wish to make one note before we go any further- if, for any reason, I should get my dumb ass banned from FF-dot-net, probably for this chapter or a few others I have in the pipeline, I will create an account on Adult-FF and repost it there. It will take me some time to re-edit the first two stories and post them there (as it wouldn't be fair to post the third story and not the first two) but I would try and be back on schedule as quickly as possible. That said, I'm hoping I don't get in trouble, as this story is about to more than earn its rating.

I also want to make another quick note- I tend to communicate in a self-deprecating tone, and if I should offend anybody by doing so, please forgive me. I only ever mean to insult myself, and never anyone else.

Review responses!

Jessie Dark- Wow, thanks for the compliment! I only hope I continue to remain tolerable. (Also- went through your page, read some of your stories, wept. Beautifully done. Thank you for that, I needed it. Guys, check her out after you finish this chapter!)

KakashiisWifey- I like to think of it as a snowball- you roll it, and it gets bigger and bigger as you go! Gracias por el piropo!

Dragon77- The twins are adorable. I only hope I'm not making them TOO adorable!

RodiSquall- I remember having to give my dog medicine. Yeesh. We had to sneak it to her in bits of bread, and she'd still eat around the pill. Now, I'm not sure if Tenpou is showing through on Hakkai, or if he just really needs a vacation. Maybe a little of column A, little bit column B. And yeah, Gojyo's neighbors know him way too well for him to try and get cozy now.

**DISCLAIMER: **THIS CHAPTER IS TOTALLY RATED M FOR A REASON! I do not own the characters, nor do I profit from them.

* * *

**4.5: Tempest**

"Are you certain you're ready?" Sanzo reiterated patiently, his hand on Gojyo's, their thighs touching side-to-side on the bed. The gods had hung the moon low and close one late July twilight, the air warm, dry, and smelling of earth and clear skies. Gojyo had slid the boys' crib into the other room while fixing the caulking on the window, and the boys were already asleep and had been for an hour. Sanzo and Gojyo had played cards for a while, but Gojyo had suddenly put the deck aside and made the statement:

"I'm ready."

Gojyo chuckled, as Sanzo questioned him for what felt like the thousandth time over the last six months and the fiftieth in the last five minutes. "I think so, yeah." He slipped his arm over Sanzo's shoulder. "I mean, you've touched every part of me without me screaming, right?" Sanzo crossed and uncrossed his arms anxiously.

"Everything but your genitals," he affirmed under his breath. Gojyo rolled his eyes.

"Come on, we're trying to be sexy. Can't you just say 'dick' like a human being?"

"Genitalia is the medical term."

"Well, _doctor_, I ain't here for a check-up. Let's try. Please." Gojyo rested his other hand on Sanzo's knee. "Please?"

"If you're certain." Sanzo pressed his hand over Gojyo's. "But listen closely." Gojyo smirked as Sanzo fixed his calm gaze on his eyes. "I am Kouryuu, nobody else. I love you deeply. I am here because I was invited, and you are the one who invited me. I am here by your leave. You have the right to stop me at any time-"

"Wait, what?"

"You may stop me at any time you wish," Sanzo repeated evenly.

"I... what?" Gojyo cocked his head, unable to fathom this.

"If you no longer wish for me to be in contact with your body, you need only say 'stop,' or 'wait,' or 'no,' or 'get off.' That is the way it has been, that is the way it shall always be. If you are uncomfortable at any time-"

"You mean you'd just stop?!" Gojyo's jaw hung slack.

"In a moment."

"I couldn't do that- That'd be unfair-" Gojyo stammered, but Sanzo shook his head.

"I would never complain." He turned his eyes away. "Perhaps I'd need a moment to compose myself, certainly, but I will be content with whatever you're comfortable to offer me."

"B-but..." Gojyo dug his hand into his hair. "I owe you-"

"You owe me nothing. I have not tallied any debt for my affection and patience," Sanzo insisted, gently reaching to remove Gojyo's hand from his head. "How many times must I remind you- I enjoy your company for more than your body. If anything, I still owe you."

"Eh? Owe me?" Gojyo lifted his eyes, brow raised.

"You thanklessly carried and delivered two sons, in my name. All the while, I denied and rejected you, even with my seed asleep inside you." Sanzo hung his head, lips thin. "No, I owe you and them many years of penance that I have not yet begun to repay."

"What're you talkin' about? You're here, aren't you?"

"Without complaint. But I have, as yet, found no way to repay my debts."

"You're an idiot," Gojyo chuckled weakly.

"Perhaps. But my point remains." Sanzo pressed his hand over his heart in a vow. "You have given me enough of your body, and owe me no more of it. I will not do anything you do not ask of me."

"Fine. Take your shirt off."

"Hm?" Sanzo frowned, but Gojyo smirked as he slid back from Sanzo.

"I asked, right?"

"I see what you're getting at. Fine. Let's begin."

Sanzo got to his feet, and Gojyo knelt upright, arms at his sides, watching intently as Sanzo disrobed. He tried to remember the last time he'd done this, tried to recall how he felt. He tried to recall how he was supposed to feel. Anxiety? No. Anticipation. 'It's a good thing. Remember?' he thought to himself. 'It's like he's unwrapping a present.' A grin spread his lips wide. 'That's why they call it a package!'

He pulled his shirt off, unbuckled his belt, and watched as Sanzo matched him. Sanzo was wearing a small smile as well, and he nodded towards Gojyo's underpants, arms folded across his moon-pale chest, pants unbuttoned and hanging lazily around his hips. "Lose them," he urged. Gojyo smirked, and slid his thumbs into the waistband of his boxer briefs.

"You mean these?" He slipped them down a little, revealing the crest of his hips, the sand-colored skin, soft and smooth. Sanzo's fingers pressed tight into his own muscle. Gojyo pulled his briefs down to his knees, and Sanzo swallowed.

"Yes. Those." He put his hands on his hips. "Now mine." He pointed to the floor in front of him. "Come here."

**(Suggested Track: "Tempest," by The Deftones. 0:00-3:25)**

Gojyo rose and closed the distance, kicking his pants away in one swift motion. He wrapped his arms around Sanzo's waist, pressing their chests close, the sand touching the moon. They met eyes, and Gojyo gave him a soft kiss on the nose. Sanzo wrinkled his nose, and Gojyo chuckled softly as he slid down to his knees and rested his hands at Sanzo's hips. He let his fingernails drag as he started to pull the elastic away, eye-level with the apex of Sanzo's legs. "Been a while since I saw you," he murmured to the bulge there, and finally rolled the fabric away. It hung, slightly stiff- average in size, clean in smell and appearance- and Gojyo gawked at it until Sanzo lay his hand on his cheek. Gojyo didn't flinch, even though his fingers were cold and trembling.

"Remember our first time? Remember what I told you?" Sanzo swallowed hard- was he nervous too?- as he traced Gojyo's jawline. "It's yours to do with what you will." Gojyo tried to recall that first, alcohol-soaked encounter.

"You want me to spit on m- oh. Oh, I see what you're sayin'." Gojyo smirked. "Okay, but promise he won't spit back."

"I'll try to control him, but he so rarely listens," Sanzo murmured, and moved his boxers the rest of the way away. Gojyo braced himself, staring it down.

"Okay," he murmured into his chest. "Time to wake it up." He held onto Sanzo's thigh and leaned close, jaw wide, and rested his tongue on the tip. Sanzo shivered, laying his hands on the back of Gojyo's neck to brace himself, as Gojyo worked his tongue around the contour, and turned his face heavenward as Gojyo drew the shaft past his lips. He felt Gojyo's fingertips pierce his skin and realized he, too, was gripping his hands so tight he was leaving indentations in Gojyo's skin. Gojyo pulled his cock in and out a few times, sucking tenderly. Sanzo could feel the blood rushing from his arms and legs, ebbing away, felt his head start to spin. Gojyo licked the tip each time he withdrew, still gripping tight to Sanzo's thigh, and he could taste everything he found joy in about him with each suck. He loved that taste, but it got to be too much.

"It's salty," he murmured, and he drew back, spit into his palm, and wiped his lips.

"I apologize." Sanzo reached down and smeared the spit off his chin. "But I'm ready, whenever you are. Are you ready?"

"Y-yeah." Gojyo hoisted himself up. His knees were shaking- not out of fear, but for lack of blood. Sanzo tried to catch his breath, drawing himself back to within a hand's breadth of Gojyo.

"Make yourself comfortable. I'll have you any way you're ready to offer."

"I wanna be able to look at you," Gojyo breathed back.

"Lay on your back." Sanzo maintained his composure, breathing slowly as Gojyo scrambled back onto the bed and threw himself onto his back. Sanzo joined him, loosening his joints, cock still proudly erect. Sanzo took hold of Gojyo's ankles, lifting his legs and exposing his target. He licked his lips and steadied himself on the edge of the bed, and Gojyo gripped tight to the sheets. Sanzo clenched his teeth and plowed himself in.

"Ah!" Gojyo couldn't stop himself from crying out, and he wrapped his legs around Sanzo's waist as he pulled back. He was already short for breath, but he pumped again, then again. After nearly two years of disuse, the muscles were tight and sore, but the hurt stung beautifully, echoing in waves up through his belly and ribcage. Gojyo's heart still raced, half-panicking, half-trying to remember what to do with himself. He could feel Sanzo's pulse throbbing through him as he pressed his chest against Gojyo's, holding him down by his shoulders. Through dazed eyes, he could just see the effort in Sanzo's expression, the heat in his unblinking stare. Gojyo could taste his sweat. The ceiling was spinning, as Sanzo drove himself deeper and deeper in. "You..." Gojyo panted, the air pushed out of him with each thrust. "Used to be so clumsy..." Gojyo couldn't finish his thought as his whole insides spasmed, and Sanzo couldn't respond. Suddenly, he pulled back, breaking the lock of Gojyo's legs. "K-Kou?"

"I want to have you on your knees," Sanzo murmured rapidly. "May I?"

"Y-yes," Gojyo stuttered, body quivering as he turned himself over. "Any way you want me. Just take me. I love you!"

"I know," Sanzo whispered, and he rested his hands on Gojyo's hips and bucked back into the warmth of Gojyo's body. Gojyo's heart ricocheted around his chest, he pressed his arms against his breast, his chin to the mat, and braced himself as Sanzo steadied his grip and thrust again.

He could feel Sanzo's pulse again, stronger now, thrumming up through his gut and ribcage, singing into his muscles. His cock felt like silken Heaven, the sound of his breath made his head spin. Each deep thrust was a burst of pain and pleasure, and Gojyo was starting to ignore the pain.

Every moment they'd had before was flowing back into him. Every orgasm he'd ever had, that Sanzo had given him, they were all their own, unique kind of joy, and he was recalling each one as his muscles contracted around Sanzo. His head was spinning, his heart still throbbing in his chest. Sanzo suddenly withdrew, and the lack of him made the world feel as blank as snow. Gojyo covered his eyes, trying to catch his breath.

**(Suggested Track: 3:25-end.)**

"Don't stop- d-don't-"

"I'm going to come," Sanzo whispered breathlessly. "Is that okay?"

"I... want... that..." Gojyo hissed into his palms, bracing his forearms on the wall as Sanzo slid into him again. The air now smelled thick with them, their heat, their spice, and it tasted sweet. Sanzo panted behind him, the joy flowing back in hot, thick bursts. Then- a rush.

Sanzo gasped above him, but it was lost to Gojyo as all the hormones imploded through his gut, the heat rushing through his veins and seeping into his soul. His mind raced tandem with his heartbeat, remembering every bit of pain and guilt that had ever made his head spin;

_"I will never love you..." _

_ "Waste of air and water..."_

_ "Why would I want to fuck an abomination against nature..."_

_ "You make one more noise, and I'll kill you..."_

_ "You sick pig..."_

None of it hurt anymore. Even when Sanzo's hand landed on his stomach as he fell back, panting and weak, Gojyo didn't flinch. He could only remember one thing, the same words he repeated now:

"I love you," Gojyo whispered. Sanzo said nothing in response; his head fell onto Gojyo's back.

"Mm." Sanzo's knees buckled, and the pair collapsed into a close cuddle, chest to chest, Sanzo's nose nestled on Gojyo's shoulder. The room still spun, the rest of the universe mute but for the two of them.

"Thank you," Gojyo murmured, laying his hand over Sanzo's.

"Thank... you," Sanzo returned in a weary voice. Gojyo chuckled, with what little strength he had.

"Happiest man alive right here."

"L... liar." Gojyo could hear the smile in Sanzo's voice, and he embraced Sanzo tighter.

"Are you kidding? You didn't just make love to you."

"No arguments."

"You're no fun." Gojyo mock-sulked, and Sanzo- miracle of miracles- softly laughed.

"You weren't saying that a minute ago." Gojyo laughed too, and let Sanzo rest his head on his breast. Sanzo kissed it softly. "I love you, too. I always will."

Gojyo didn't reply, his mind already adrift towards content dreaming. He didn't consciously feel Sanzo start stroking his back, nor hear him start to hum some distant tune that sounded nothing like a child's lullaby.

* * *

**End Notes:** Ladies and gentlemen, I give you HELL YEAH. Can I get a HELL YEAH!

… No? That's okay. I'll take whatever you got! And yes, I have more like this in mind.

So yes, this chapter was a little shorter than usual, but I hope it was worth it. Chapter 5 will be up next week! Until then, leave any comments, questions, or suggestions in the box below. See you next time!


	6. They Walk, They Talk, They Entertain!

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author Notes:** Reading last week's reviews- I honestly thought nobody used "lemon" or "lime" anymore. I thought I was an old-timer for still using the word! (Man, I hope I'm not showing my age here.) But hey, if you still say it, I will. There will probably be two more scenes that could get me banned in this story, since I don't write PWP (let's see how much of a throwback THAT is) so rest assured, we are not descending into pure indulgence here. I still might try and re-edit King Rat and No Mercy for cross-posting, since King Rat needs a LOT of work, but we'll see when I have time.

Strap in, kids, it's a long one!

**Disclaimer:** I acknowledge the copyright of the original author. I do not profit from the use of these characters. All original characters and scenario belong to me, and I do not profit from them either.

* * *

**5: They Walk, They Talk, They Entertain!**

August heat rolled in through the rural outskirts of Chang'an like an ocean, and the air tasted of salt and sweat. Leisurely strolls through the neighborhood with the twins in a double-stroller that Hakkai had acquired were made unpleasant by the diaper rash they suffered afterward. Even Sanzo had started to hate wearing his robes out in public, always removing it the moment he got back into the house. The only relief, it seemed, was when night fell and the sun relented. The night air was cool, almost paradoxically so by comparison to the sweltering day. The boys would sit awake sometimes, fascinated by the chirrups and trilling of the cicadas and crickets in the twilight air. On this night in mid-August, when Sanzo had already left, Gojyo let the boys sit up until an hour past sundown.

"Pretty amazing, right?" He chuckled to them from a chair he'd moved beside the crib. Yohei had yanked himself up by the windowsill, as Eiji sat on his knees, both gazing outside. Eiji babbled something nonsensical in response, and Yohei yawned. "Aw, you sleepy, buddy?" He detached Yohei's hands from the sill and let him down, then tucked the pair of them in. "Daddy's gonna be here all night, guys." He glanced outside at the overcast night sky, the bone-pale sliver of moon, then leaned down and kissed the pair of them on the heads. He took a book from his bedside table- "The Story of Momotaro," which Gojyo had picked up the last time he'd gone shopping for the boys- and flipped it open. He read to them for a little while, until their eyes closed, and turned out the light. Then, rather than going to bed himself, he shoved his pillow under his sheet, pulled his shakujo from under his bed, then sat in the chair in the corner away from the window, and waited.

This had been Gojyo's ritual every night that Sanzo had been away for the past few weeks. He had not intended to mention it to Sanzo, though he had an inkling that Sanzo was getting wise to his sleepless nights. 'No,' he reminded himself, 'that doesn't matter. He doesn't have to worry about something like this.' He thought back to the broken window lock he'd found, which he had deliberately not yet replaced. He was certain he knew why there had been a draft, why it had resurfaced. He knew what- knew _who- _had twice broken the lock. After three hours of waiting in silence, his fears were confirmed.

The window slid open from the outside, slowly, making neither creak nor whistle. First, an arm, then a leg, then a head and torso, crept in, feet landing silently on the mat beside the crib. Shadowed by the darkness, Gojyo could not see this silhouette's face, but as the man lay his hands on the edge of the crib and leaned over the edge to examine the babies, Gojyo didn't have time to second-guess himself nor play a guessing game. In one swift motion, he jumped to his feet, turned on the light, and pointed his blade at the figure.

"You have five seconds to give me ten damn good reasons why you're here!" Gojyo snarled, the crescent of his shakujo no more than two centimeters from Dokugakuji's chest. Dokugakuji froze in place, wide-eyed, still staring down at the babies in the crib. "And if I even think you're thinkin' about THINKIN' about the word kidnap, it's-"

"My ass," Dokugakuji concluded.

"No. Your head." Gojyo tilted the shaft up, aiming the blade squarely at his neck. "So start talkin', big brother."

Dokugakuji laughed softly, wearily, and Gojyo got a good look at his face. He looked like he hadn't shaved in more than a few months, his hair was overgrown, his ragged clothes were torn and stained. "This is the greeting I get when you ain't seen me in nearly two years."

"Better than ten, asshole. You ain't answered my question."

"Bro, I don't have ten good reasons to be here. I got two, and I don't even know their names." Dokugakuji spread his hands. "I'm unarmed. I left all my weapons behind, at least a kilometer from here. I wouldn't harm a hair on their heads- I haven't for all the times I've seen 'em. Can you at least put the spade down?" Gojyo gritted his teeth, but slowly lowered the sharp edge.

"Fine. Now tell me why you're here."

"I ain't got nowhere else to go, Gojyo." Dokugakuji's knees buckled, and he dropped to a kneel, elbows shaking from the adrenaline rush. "Kougaiji's gone, I ain't seen him since the last time I saw you. Yaone, she's in the wind with him. Lord Kougaiji was my home, he was all I ever had to go back to. After it all went down, the world might as well have exploded around me, and I was left alone, wounded, and in my own personal slice of hell." Gojyo folded his arms, jaw still clenched. Dokugakuji sighed. "And I could only think of you. I figured Kou was dead, I had no idea what had happened to the others, but I knew you were alive, and I knew that you had a kid somewhere. Every time I saw you after that one time, I meant to ask, but couldn't- no chance, no time. Not that you'd've told me a damn thing."

"Hell no," Gojyo growled suddenly. "You locked me in a box to try and keep me and my kids under your control-"

"To keep you safe! I found out you were gonna have a kid and had no idea what you were gonna do with it! I didn't know if you'd know what to do with a kid, not after the way you were raised. I wanted to help you-"

"I didn't want your help!" Gojyo barked, and Eiji woke and started to cry. Gojyo shoved past Dokugakuji and picked him up. "Calm down, kiddo, please calm down," he pleaded quietly. Dokugakuji stepped back, watching. Gojyo turned his eyes over his shoulder a few times as he cuddled and cradled Eiji to comfort him. "Nobody's gonna hurt you," he whispered. As Eiji placated, Gojyo lay him back down. "There's my guy," he murmured. Dokugakuji sighed with relief, and managed to get back to his feet.

"So, guessin' you found out the hard way what Yaone had figured about the babies."

"Yeah." Gojyo exhaled anxiously. "Guess... guess havin' twins and not knowing it would raise some red flags."

"How'd you keep 'em safe all these years? They don't look three."

"They ain't. Goddess halted their lives and gave 'em back to us after we got back. We've raised them since then." Gojyo smiled a little, but Dokugakuji narrowed his eyes.

"We."

"Me and Hakkai and Sanz-" Gojyo stopped, and turned to glare at Dokugakuji. "What do you mean by that?"

"I mean I figured out how my little brother got knocked up. I ain't stupid, you know." He nodded towards Yohei. "Spitting image of that rotten, stinking, rat of a monk."

"Yeah, he does look like his Papa," Gojyo agreed, sliding over to block Doku's view of him.

"You gonna tell me anything about that?"

"Not a damn thing." Gojyo turned away.

"What, is he your boyfriend now or something?" Dokugakuji's upper lip curled.

"Not your business."

"Fine," Dokugakuji sighed. "Be a pain. Look, I'm only here to see my nephews."

"You've been breaking in through my fucking window!"

"Would you have opened the door if I'd knocked?!" Dokugakuji snapped back.

"Fuck no!"

"I didn't have a choice. But you're forgetting that I haven't taken 'em," Dokugakuji reminded Gojyo sharply. "I've been coming here for a while, you never even knew I was here. What's that tell you, eh? I might'a picked 'em up and held 'em a little, but I never left the room with them in my hands, never even left the window open. Never even broke a single hair on their soft little heads."

"You know I can't trust you, Doku," Gojyo muttered.

"I know. So, it's been more than five seconds, I only came up with one more good reason," Dokugakuji lowered his head. "You're the only person I have left who cares about me. Even if it is that you only care I never touch my nephews. I'm alone now. And I'm not Dokugakuji anymore." He rubbed the back of his head. "I'm just Jien, same fugitive as I was before but with a big, fat target on my alias' head now too."

Gojyo looked Jien up and down, and unfolded his arms. "Come on."

"Huh?" Jien looked grimaced, but his brow softened.

"I can't give you much, but I'll get you a coffee and a clean razor."

Ten minutes later, Jien had shaved his scruff and shoved on one of Gojyo's old shirts. "You sure I can have this?"He half-turned to Gojyo as he continued to touch up his face.

"It's fine, one shirt missing won't kill me," Gojyo muttered, still watching him from the doorway. He held two mugs of coffee, but Jien hadn't touched his yet. "Where have you been living?"

"Eh, I've made kind of a hideout for myself near the edge of town. Ramshackle barn out in the farmland, looked like it'd been abandoned for years. I've been doing a little bounty hunting, just enough to get by, but I've been scouring the underworld for any information I can get about the others."

"You're looking for Kougaiji?"

"I know he's alive. He was seen alive, there's been a few sightings. Every time he's spotted, I run right off and check, but the trail's always long-cold by the time I get to it." He wiped his face off and checked himself in the mirror. "I've been halfway across China and back at least three times in the past year, but I ain't giving up."

"Heh. You really did take that whole 'my lord's vassal' shit seriously," Gojyo muttered flippantly.

"Still do. If Kougaiji's out there, he needs his friends."

"I know the feeling." Gojyo felt bitterness wash his tongue. "What are you going to do now?"

"Keep listening for leads, keep searching for my friends."

"And then what?"

"I dunno. Get on with my life, same way you've gotten on with yours." Jien put the razor away and took the coffee from Gojyo. "So, you ain't actually forgiven me for kidnapping you while you were knocked up?"

"Nope." Gojyo finished his coffee.

"Good, I ain't earned it yet." Jien took a big swig from his mug, exhaling a puff of steam. "Mind if I try?"

"What'd you have in mind?"

"I just wanna visit sometimes. See the kids. Talk to you. You're my little brother, after all, you should be able to lean on me sometimes."

"That ain't gonna happen," Gojyo snarled, clenching his fist. Jien's eyes briefly lowered in dismay, until Gojyo unclenched his fist. "But you can visit. They have a right to know they have an uncle. How do I get in touch with you?"

"Good question." Jien thought for a moment. "There's a public bulletin board, you know, for job postings and shit. It's about a block west of the temple. You can post messages to me there, I'll do the same. Just sign it Sha, I'll know who it is, and so will you."

"You don't think anyone'll get suspicious?"

"Nah, there's plenty of Shas in this town. Just, most of them won't sign their names. I might try and code my messages a little, so anyone who doesn't think about it too much won't figure out what's going on. Nothing too hard, so your dumb ass'll be able to figure it out." Jien smirked, and shoved his towel at Gojyo's chest. "Just take my messages down when you get them, and I'll do the same."

"Fine." Gojyo threw the towel into the laundry basket. "No more comin' in through the damn window."

"As long as you open the damn door." Jien smirked. "So, before I go, I need to know my other two reasons for coming back." Gojyo scoffed.

"Yohei's the blonde. Eiji's the redhead."

"Yohei. Eiji. Got it." His expression warmed. "I, uh, like those names."

"Quit suckin' up."

"I ain't tryin'. Can I at least say goodbye?"

Jien took up Yohei in one arm and Eiji in the other. Yohei slept on, but Eiji promptly roused and smiled up at him. "He knows you already," Gojyo mused as Jien rubbed his nose against each of theirs.

"He always wakes up. The blonde one- uh, Yohei- sleeps like a rock, though." Jien set Yohei back down and lifted Eiji over his head. "Up!" He swung him low, down to his knees. "An' down!" Eiji laughed, and Jien beamed. "I have wanted to do that for months." Gojyo folded his arms and stood back as Jien swung Eiji up and down a few times, much to the infant's delight. Jien seemed pleased with himself, turning in a slow circle with Eiji in the air. "Little man can fly, too!"

"Be careful," Gojyo warned.

"Heh, wouldn't'a pegged you for the protective type."

"After all we've been through, yeah, I'm gonna protect them," Gojyo retorted harshly.

"Some shit went down when I wasn't looking again, huh?" Jien mused. Gojyo averted his eyes, avoiding eye contact. "I know you don't sleep some nights, or you toss and turn. Especially the nights when Blondie sleeps out in the other room, 'least until a few weeks ago." He lay Eiji back down and tucked him in. "You can tell me as much or as little as you want, but I'm worried about you, bro."

"It's a story for another night," Gojyo muttered, and slouched. "Get outta here. I dunno when Hakkai'll be back."

"Right." Jien checked the window again, and frowned. "I broke the lock, didn't I?"

"Damn right."

"I'll get you the money to fix it. Wouldn't want any creeps coming in the window."

"You're one to talk!" Gojyo swatted Jien's arm, and Jien laughed.

"See ya round, little brother." He left through the bedroom door, and Gojyo followed him to the front door. "And if you need anything, you know where to find me."

Gojyo locked the door behind him, pressed his back to the wall, and slid to the floor, head in hands. "He's dirt, but at least he's alive," he muttered to himself, his grimace twisting into a smile. "I wouldn't want the boys to fight like this, I might as well set a good example."

The next morning, Sanzo arrived near sunrise, Goku in tow. However, he was surprised to find Gojyo already awake, hanging the laundry on the line on the side of the house. Sanzo approached, quietly taking him in from head to toe.

"Isn't this a bit early for you?"

"Eh, I was up." Gojyo grinned, and Sanzo recognized the familiar milieu of exhaustion in his face- the disheveled hair, the rings under his eyes, the slight quiver of his each movement.

"Up all night?"

"Couldn't sleep."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Gojyo shrugged, and took up the empty laundry basket. "Guess I had coffee a little too late at night." He grinned and winked at Sanzo. "What, you offerin' to put me back to bed?"

"Ew, come on!" Goku moaned, turning his head and wincing. "Don't be gross, I'm right here!" Gojyo chuckled, and turned for the door.

"Boys'll be up soon. How 'bout I fix us some breakfast?" He held the basket against his hip and led the others inside. Sanzo hid a glower into Gojyo's back, knowing that he could not see the whole picture but unsure how to broach his mistrust. Gojyo, however, could already imagine that Sanzo might have been catching on, but knew it completely unwise to tell Sanzo about his late-night visitor. He was already trying to wrap his brain about how to balance the pair without ever letting them touch.

* * *

Meals for the babies had become more interesting once they broached nine months of age. They were still chiefly on a diet of formula, but they were also offered bottles of fruit juice and occasionally regular milk. However, Hakkai recommended trying a few different things, such as boiled apples and turnips. They even got to eat rice porridge and very finely chopped chicken. This made an extra chore for Sanzo and Gojyo- ensuring their treats were the exact right size.

"I still don't get it. They don't have goddamn teeth yet," Gojyo complained to Sanzo as he cut the apples again. "And this stuff tastes like shit!"

"Little ears," Sanzo hissed. Goku was asleep on the sofa, and had been for a few hours, and Gojyo and Sanzo were taking turns looking over their shoulders at the babies playing on the rug. Gojyo was somewhat clumsy with the knife, not clumsy enough to cut himself but unable to make even cuts. Sanzo was no better.

"Can't we just make applesauce?"

"No, they need to work on actual solids, even if they can't chew them!" Sanzo snapped, and Gojyo rolled his eyes, then shoved his cut apples to the other side of the board.

"Are these small enough?"

"Half that. One-centimeter square, maximum." He examined one of Gojyo's little quasi-cubes. "Yours are... unusual."

"Pfft, you're one to talk," Gojyo grumbled, rolling his eyes as he looked at Sanzo's uneven chunks, which ranged between a quarter-centimeter thick and two centimeters, often on the same odd trapezoid.

"Hmph." Sanzo glared at the knife and the board. He looked behind him, and noticed Eiji crawling towards them. He hid a small chuckle into a harrumph, but turned and tried to cut his pieces again, now into uneven triangles.

"Those are still too long," Gojyo observed.

"I realize that. Give me a minute."

"The tips are too small, they'll probably choke on that."

"Will you be still?" Sanzo sighed with disgust, and Gojyo snickered.

"You're cute when you get pissed."

"Is it really wise to tease me when I'm holding a knife?" Sanzo moved to cut again, but noticed a little hand on the counter beside him, climbing up the drawers, reaching for the apples. He stopped, and saw that Eiji had pulled himself to a stand next to him. "Gojyo." Gojyo glanced over, and gasped.

"Camera, camera, camera!" He threw his knife into the sink and ran for the other room.

"Be careful!" Sanzo warned, as Eiji's groping fingers found a little chunk of the apple. Sanzo nudged it away from his hand to keep him searching, as Gojyo returned with the camera and dropped to his knees.

"Eiji!" He called in a sing-song timbre, and Eiji whipped around to face him. Gojyo managed to get a picture before he released the counter and fell back to his knees. He whimpered, but Sanzo quickly tucked the piece of apple he'd been reaching for into his mouth.

"We have a little counter thief on our hands," Sanzo chuckled, a hint of affection in his voice, and Eiji contently gummed his mushy apple.

Now that strange meals had led to new mobility, knives were kept as far from the edge of the counter as possible, as well as anything else that might cause trouble if one of the babies were to reach and grab it- cleaning supplies, anything glass or otherwise easily shattered, or anything that might slip, slide, and fall. This joined the list of things that had to be altered since the boys had become independently mobile- the floor-level counters and pantry door were all latched shut to prevent little invaders, the bathroom was now locked whenever occupied (as Sanzo had quickly become sick of his 'private newspaper time' being interrupted by little eyes and noses poking in the door,) and even Gojyo's bedside drawer had a lock on it. This didn't even begin to mention the things kept well out of reach, like the fingerpaint set Hakkai had purchased for the boys and anything else that could even potentially leave a mark. After this, it was not uncommon to find Eiji surfing along the table and counter edges, getting up any way he could. This increased the problem with the boys' unspoken credo: "If it exists, it's going in my mouth." As such, Sanzo and Gojyo had to be cognizant of everything that they could reach, especially after Eiji managed to knock a glass of water off the table and had started to lift a chunk of the glass to his lips. Sanzo noticed over the next few days that Gojyo's second-favorite word was now "No" and all of its variants.

"No, no, no!" He would gasp as Eiji reached up towards the table for Gojyo's chopsticks.

"Quit that!" He'd yelp as Eiji's little fingers reached a teacup.

"Eiji, stop!" He moaned while Eiji grabbed onto Hakkai's map, the latest target in his three-day spree. Hakkai only laughed. Sanzo briefly peered in the window from outside when he heard Gojyo yelp, but relaxed and returned to his cigarette.

"Now, now, he's still learning."

"That's why you gotta nip it in the bud, so he doesn't learn to do dumb shit!" Gojyo snapped as he yanked Eiji back. Eiji whined as Gojyo hoisted him over his shoulder. However, Hakkai's map slipped away to the other side of the table, taking his tea with it. Hakkai laughed into his palm, and Gojyo, appalled, looked to see Yohei, fallen on his back with the map on top of him, laughing on the other side of the table.

"My, he is a sneaky one, isn't he!" Hakkai chortled, and picked the (thankfully still-whole) teacup and map off the floor, then wiped the tea off the map into the sink. Yohei rolled up to a crawl, then grabbed the counter and stood up alongside Hakkai and started trying to grab anything above him. Gojyo groaned and scooped him up as well.

"We need a longer baby gate. Something that'll keep them in here, and out of trouble!" Gojyo griped as he set the pair of them back down on their play mat and retrieved a few toys from the corner.

"It's not so bad, is it?" Hakkai asked blithely.

"You ain't here, you have no idea how fast Eiji is. I hadn't even seen Yohei do that until just now, either!" Gojyo sighed, and sat down alongside them.

"I'm glad I was here to see it, then," Hakkai declared slyly, and Gojyo was rebuked by the implication.

"Y-yeah." He lowered his eyes, and Hakkai got to his feet.

"Next time something exciting happens, be certain to let me know. I feel like they've completely transformed while my back was turned." Hakkai patted his shoulder as he passed behind him to the door, and Gojyo sighed.

"Sure thing, man." He fell onto his back as Hakkai shut the door, feeling the swelter from outside coast in for a moment before being swallowed by the cooler air inside. Hakkai's ten minute cup of tea was the most Gojyo had seen of him in a month. "An' you guys messed it up," he muttered aloud, rubbing his brow. Sanzo felt a twinge of pity for Gojyo, but he quickly smiled again and went back to cleaning up after the boys.

Sanzo was pleased with the fact that both boys were in motion, but it required a more proactive hand from him. He was most wary of anything they came close to, trying to protect them from the world around them. He couldn't help but find it humorous that the boys would scoot their way to a vertical surface, get themselves upright, then use it to sidle up along it and get where they were going. He also discovered that he now counted as a vertical surface. All he had to do was stand in front of one of them while they were crawling, and they would start to climb up his legs. He reached down, took both hands, and lifted.

"We're going for a walk, are we?" He asked Yohei as he started up his new favorite trick. Yohei giggled, eyes bright, and Sanzo took a few steps backwards. Yohei stumbled forward, legs still stumbling, body wobbly, but he kept pace with Sanzo. Sanzo took a few more backwards steps, and Yohei would follow. "Very good." Sanzo would keep it up until Yohei stumbled and fell, and then knelt to praise him. "What a smart boy. Your legs are getting stronger all the time, aren't they?" Yohei laughed and clapped, and Sanzo was content.

"So, when do you think they'll walk?" Gojyo asked from the table after watching Sanzo perform his pleasant ritual with Eiji and Yohei in turn for a little while.

"What does the book say?" Sanzo asked as he settled Yohei back down with a toy drum.

"I'unno, I've only flipped through a few of the pages." Gojyo shrugged, and took the baby book off the table. He had no idea when he'd dog-eared so many pages of the thing, couldn't even remember when he'd gotten interested in it. And yet, he now found himself flipping to the index, then back through. "Says maybe around their first birthday, or shortly after."

"I see." Sanzo rolled the suddenly-mobile drum back towards Yohei as it bounced past him.

"They'll be running by their second birthday, least prob'ly." Gojyo flipped a few more pages. "Man, looking at it, it all happens so fast."

"We might as well enjoy it while we can." Sanzo shrugged.

"I agree completely." Gojyo then sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Man, one of these days, I'm gonna have to find somewhere else for them to sleep."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because one of these days, they're gonna start wonderin' about those noises Daddy and Papa make when the lights are off." Gojyo smirked at Sanzo, and he rolled his eyes. "Fine, we'll just start using the shower again."

"They can still hear you," Sanzo grumbled, and got to his feet. "What are you up to, anyway?"

"Eh." Gojyo folded up the piece of paper between his elbows. "Budget."

"Budget?" Sanzo frowned.

"Yeah. Been counting our nest egg and tracking our spending." Gojyo rubbed his forehead, and Sanzo leaned closer.

"And?"

"And what?" Gojyo tilted his head up to him.

"Are you concerned about your finances? You know if you ever need help-"

"We're fine, Kou. Don't worry about us." Gojyo smiled, then looked down as he felt something tugging on his pant leg. He looked down, grinned, and picked Eiji up into his lap. Eiji beamed and hugged him, babbling something in his babyish language. "As long as we still have this, we're gonna be golden."

* * *

Gojyo woke a few mornings later to the sound of screaming, and jumped from his bed. It was still barely dawn, and Yohei was on the floor next to his crib. "F-" Gojyo rushed to his side and scooped him up. "Let Daddy see, buddy, Daddy's gonna fix it-" he exhaled sharply to see the bruise forming on the side of Yohei's head. Sanzo appeared at the door.

"What happened?" Sanzo demanded.

"He- I- goddamn-" Gojyo stuttered, then pushed past Sanzo to get into the kitchen. Sanzo sputtered indignantly, then heard a creaking sound over his shoulder. He saw Eiji standing up in the crib, leaning over at his waist, and rushed to halt him before he could tilt out.

"I have found your problem," Sanzo announced as he yanked Eiji out by his underarms and carried him to the kitchen, where Gojyo was applying an ice compress against Yohei's face, which may have been to help the bruise but was not helping the screeching.

"Bad time for this," Gojyo muttered, hugging Yohei and bouncing him to his chest.

"He vaulted the crib wall."

"No shit." Gojyo soothed Yohei with a few shushes, rubbing his back. "You're okay, big guy," he murmured to Yohei, then spoke aloud. "I think Hakkai said we can lower the mattress. I'll be doin' that as soon as I'm sure Mister Adventurer is okay." He turned, touching his nose to Yohei's. "You wanna climb mountains, huh? You better work on teeth before you bite off more'n you can chew," he teased, and Yohei wailed and yanked on his hair. Gojyo only snickered, clearly used to it.

Yohei's bruise had almost faded by the next day, and after that Gojyo lowered the mattress, effectively walling the boys in, but he was greeted every morning by one or the other standing up with their hands on the railing, calling out in squeals for attention. Sanzo, who still only stayed overnight four days out of the week- and not yet in Gojyo's bed- had begun to liken the noise to roosters- Loud, certainly, but the noise was welcome.

Around their tenth month, these mornings held a new delight. August was finally cooling its way into September, and Gojyo was waking up on a morning where he knew he would be the only adult in the house. At least, so he thought- he could hear the shower running across the hall, and smiled, realizing Hakkai was home. He could also hear a rattle clunking against the crib bars, and saw Eiji awake, one hand on the railing and waving the rattle with the other.

"Daddy's here, big guy, what's up?" Gojyo yawned as he approached, and leaned over, gazing into Eiji's face with a big, sunrise grin. Eiji smiled and shook the rattle at Gojyo, who smiled and pushed it back. "Is that how we treat Daddy when he says good morning?"

"Dada!" Eiji replied. Gojyo gaped.

"Say that again." Eiji continued shaking the rattle. "Say Daddy."

"Dada!" Eiji tossed the rattle in the air, and Gojyo reached out and caught it, grinning so widely his ears hurt.

"You know Daddy." He leaned closer to Eiji. "I'm Daddy!"

"Dada!" Eiji laughed, and Gojyo whooped victoriously.

"Yes! Daddy rules!" He yanked Eiji up and spun around, half-tossing him in the air. Hakkai stumbled in, dressed but still dripping wet with a towel over his head.

"Do I hear pain?"

"No way, check it out!" Gojyo turned, holding Eiji at arm's length. "Hey, buddy, tell Uncle who I am!"

"Dada!" Eiji answered happily, looking around at Gojyo with a big, joyful smile. Hakkai gasped, smile brightening.

"Why, is that his first real word? Congratulations!" Hakkai clapped, and Eiji mimicked. "Ah, next, we must teach him Uncle!"

"Nah, that one's too hard. Dada's good enough!" Gojyo grinned, turning Eiji back to him and covering his forehead with kisses. "Man, I'm so excited I can't hold still! I need to go make breakfast. Daddy's gonna get your breakfast, guys!" Yohei rolled over and whined, finally waking up and turning bleary eyes at Gojyo and Hakkai. "Good timing, big brother's awake now!" He set Eiji back down. "Okay, you teach him now."

"Dada, beh!" Eiji called after him as he leaned down and kissed Yohei on the cheek.

"That's my boy." Gojyo ruffled Eiji's hair, leaving it stuck in six different directions. "Have some fun, bro!" He encouraged Hakkai as he straightened up and bounded from the room, lighter on his feet than usual. Hakkai giggled and finished toweling his hair.

"Let's try Uncle, boys. Uncle?" He smiled sweetly at the boys, hands on his knees. Yohei whined and babbled something nonsensical, and Eiji stared curiously back at Hakkai. "Eiji, Uncle, yes? Uncle Ha?"

"Ca Ha?" Eiji asked in response, cocking his head. Yohei whined and yanked on the back of Eiji's shorts, toppling him, and Hakkai separated the two, giggling.

"Now, now, you'll catch up! Eiji, let's practice!"

Sanzo arrived and immediately had to plug his nose. "What the hell are you cooking?"

"Uh, applesauce. Only me, right?" Gojyo grinned nervously as he tried to scrape burnt apple bits off the bottom of the saucepan. "Saved most of it!" He spun around to begin scrubbing the pan, as Sanzo took the two bowls of mashed apples.

"You're supposed to cook, then smash," Sanzo muttered, looking Gojyo up and down as he swayed to the music in his head, balancing from foot to foot. "You seem in good spirits."

"Hell yeah!" He turned a sly grin towards Sanzo. "But I won't spoil it. Go see the boys, they'll tell you all about it."

"Hmph. Whatever you say." Sanzo shrugged and turned down the hall to join Hakkai and the twins in the bedroom. Hakkai had his hands out like an orchestral conductor, with both boys standing at attention.

"Un. Cle. Ha," he said slowly, exaggerating every vowel and each motion of his jaw. "Uncle Ha! You say it!" Yohei shouted wordlessly, but Eiji knew better.

"Ca Ha! Ca Ha!" Eiji cheered in response, waving his hands, and Hakkai clapped. Sanzo's jaw fell.

"He said it!" Sanzo leaned close to Eiji. "Can you understand us?"

"Of course not! He's repeating what he hears and just learning to make associations," Hakkai giggled, clearly pleased. "No doubt, he'll know that Uncle Ha is the noise I respond to and call it when he sees me."

"How about you?" He turned his gaze to Yohei, who stared back, little brow wrinkled and cheeks red. "Can you say it?"

"Ow wa!" Yohei whined.

"He hasn't, not yet. Not to worry, though." Hakkai continued to smile his usual, chipper smile. "He has years to learn."

"Daddy's back!" Gojyo announced as he danced back in with a bottle in each hand.

"Dada!" Eiji called, reaching out for him. Gojyo grinned and handed him one bottle, and then handed Yohei, who was also reaching and shouting, the other.

"Very good! Breakfast for Yohei and Eiji, and applesauce once it cools." He smiled sweetly at the twins.

"Keep repeating the important ones. Names and important items," Hakkai explained to Sanzo.

"How about Papa?" Gojyo pointed to Sanzo. However, both boys were already preoccupied with their bottles. Gojyo shrugged. "Guess they're too hungry." Sanzo frowned, but Gojyo didn't seem to notice and continued to bounce on his heels. "Still, I'm so happy I could die! They're sayin' real words now! I can't believe it!"

" Oh, just give it a week, when you'll have to teach them to be quiet," Hakkai teased coyly, and Gojyo laughed.

"No way! They can talk 'til my ears fall off for all I care!"

"You'll regret saying that," Sanzo muttered.

"Eh, you're just jealous." Gojyo stuck his tongue out at Sanzo, and Sanzo rolled his eyes.

Later, Sanzo played with Yohei as Gojyo amused Eiji. He was dangling a toy turtle over Eiji's head. "See, Daddy's got your toy! See? Toy!" Gojyo beamed, as Eiji squealed and reached for the turtle. "Toy, look, toy! Turtle!"

"Dada! Dada!"

"Looks like he has a favorite word," Sanzo remarked, as Yohei took the blocks from Sanzo's neglected pile. Gojyo snorted.

"Hey, how do you think he learned it in the first place? He heard Daddy say it!"

"Is that why you're talking in the third person?"

"Yes. Also, bite me." He stuck his tongue out at Sanzo. Yohei giggled, and Sanzo cast a jaundiced look at him.

"Oh, is that funny?" He glared back up at Gojyo. "And what is that teaching them?"

"How to piss off Papa. What else?" Gojyo beamed. "I know you're jealous, but be patient- they'll learn Papa soon enough."

"I'm not jealous," Sanzo grumbled. "And since when was I 'Papa?'"

"I got to Daddy first. Plus, Papa seems to suit you better anyway." Gojyo smirked at Sanzo, then turned back to Eiji. "What do you think, Ei?"

"Dada!" Eiji replied, and Gojyo glowed with pride.

After the boys were put down for their afternoon nap, Sanzo encouraged Gojyo to do the same. "You look tired. Are you still having trouble sleeping?"

"Eh, not really." Gojyo shrugged. "Guess I've been getting up early lately, though."

"I sleep at night. You don't. I can mind the boys for a while, go and get some shut-eye."

"Fine, but don't you wanna come with me?" Gojyo winked, and Sanzo scowled. "Fine, fine. Wake me when they do." He yanked his shirt off and stretched, arms over his head, and flopped onto his bed. Sanzo watched the twins for a moment, as Yohei's thumb slid into his mouth, and Eiji curled up on his side. Sanzo noticed that Gojyo was curling his legs up as well, and couldn't help but chuckle. Eiji's eyes fluttered back open again, and he stared lucidly up at Sanzo. Sanzo shushed him and stroked his hair.

"Hush. Sleep or you'll be cranky later." He paused. "And, ah, Papa doesn't want you to be fussy." He felt his cheeks warm as Eiji closed his eyes again, and quickly fled the room.

Hakkai, oddly enough, had stayed through the morning, though Sanzo had scarcely seen him. Based on the restocked refrigerator and the small stack of unfamiliar storybooks present alongside the boys' toys, Sanzo could hazard a guess as to what he'd been up to. Now, he sat at the kitchen table with some posters and a map, and a newspaper behind it. He was making some notes on his map, using a compass to measure ranges, and seemed intently focused. Sanzo took the seat across from him, picked up the newspaper, and flipped it open. "Is it time for one of our talks?" Hakkai asked airily, not even looking up from his work. Sanzo didn't affirm it, but he didn't have to. "You want Yohei and Eiji to call to you, too. And you know why they don't, of course." Sanzo scowled behind his paper. Hakkai scratched a few more things onto his map. "It has nothing to do with your lack of presence, as you are here more than I am and they already speak my name. No, they don't hear it enough. You might notice, I always talk to the boys when I see them, and I always refer to myself by the name I want them to call me. You use the standard, adult self-referent." Hakkai smiled, putting his pen down and tilting his head to look at Sanzo. "Repeat your name until they do. They're little sponges, just old enough to start making connections. The more they hear, the more they'll know. If you want them to say Papa, you do it first."

"Hmph. Well, thank you," Sanzo grumbled. "I suppose I'll start talking like I'm simple."

"Wonderful idea!" Hakkai giggled. "After all, they're not even a year old. All those little wires in their minds have yet to fully connect and develop. Perhaps, by your definition, they are simple." He began to stack up his papers and fold up his map. "They'll never learn the simple things unless they're taught. Isn't that the charm of children? They're born completely blank."

"Hrm. I suppose," Sanzo grumbled, and turned the page.

"But, if I recall, you did not care for children until yours arrived, and even then, they seem to be your only exception."

"Where were you headed?" Sanzo asked, looking up as Hakkai got to his feet.

"Oh, I wanted to try and take care of a few more errands today." He smiled innocently. "It's been some time since I took a day to rest. It seems I picked a good one, anyway. I'll be back for dinner." He glided towards the door, paper in hand. "Perhaps you'll be better prepared to answer some questions once you've had time to consider them." Sanzo scowled into his paper and turned the page again. Hakkai laughed to himself as he left Sanzo alone with his thoughts.

After about an hour, Sanzo crept back into the bedroom. Gojyo's face was pressed into the pillow. Eiji, however, was awake and sitting up in his crib, hands on the windowsill and nose against the glass. Sanzo approached softly, and leaned over the crib. Eiji looked around at him, already smiling. "You know I'm Papa, right? Papa," Sanzo murmured. He drew back, and Eiji turned around, head curiously cocked. Sanzo pointed to himself. "Papa." Eiji stared back at him. "Say Papa."

"B..." Eiji mouthed the 'b' a few times.

"Papa. Please." Sanzo gripped the railing. "Call me Papa. I won't complain."

"Ba... Baba?"

Sanzo let a smile slip. "Papa."

"Baba," Eiji repeated, wide-eyed. He reached for Sanzo's face as he smiled again. "Baba!"

"Papa," Sanzo insisted, his smile spreading, and Eiji, too, smiled.

"Baba! Baba!"

"That's right. I'm Papa." Sanzo leaned close to Eiji and kissed him on the forehead, and Eiji touched the corners of his lips.

"Baba!" Sanzo realized what had spurred Eiji's sudden learning.

"You want to know I'm happy," he discerned. "You want me to smile." He lifted him up and touched his nose to his. "You call him Dad, and he smiles, because he's happy. I smile, and you know-"

"Baba." Eiji buried his nose in Sanzo's shirt, and Sanzo held him close and rubbed his back.

"Yes. Baba. Baba is here. I'm your Papa." He bounced him in his arm, and he laughed. Sanzo realized Yohei was sitting up now, watching him curiously. "You too? Can you say Baba?" Yohei blew a raspberry, and Sanzo sighed softly, hiding a small chuckle. "It's a start."

* * *

It was a few weeks later that Sanzo first heard Yohei speak real words. This, however, was a bit different. It was mealtime, and cold pear-sauce was on the menu. Eiji seemed to have taken to it well, opening his mouth every time the "dragon came in for a landing" (as Gojyo put it.) Yohei took one bite and spat it right back at Sanzo.

"Mmmnnn!" Yohei shut his mouth tight, turning his head away. Sanzo kept trying to get the spoon closer to his lips.

"Yohei, please eat it," he muttered wearily, pinching the bridge of his nose. Yohei pushed the spoon back. "No, Yohei, this is your lunch. It's good for you."

"No!" Yohei snapped. Gojyo's head whipped around, and Sanzo was taken aback.

"Eat." He held the spoon out again.

"No! No!" Yohei whined, and shook his head side to side. "No no no no no!" Gojyo burst out laughing, and Sanzo pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I thought we'd have to wait another year before that became his favorite word." He turned a harsh stare towards Yohei. "Can you at least say, 'No, Papa?'" Gojyo could only laugh, even as Eiji whined and reached for his spoon.

"Give him time, right?" Gojyo managed to giggle as he scooped up another spoonful of pear-mush and offered it to Eiji, who happily opened his mouth and licked the spoon clean. Sanzo grumbled, and tried to carry on doing the same, only to be met with a new chorus of Yohei's favorite word.

* * *

September passed quietly, and Yohei and Eiji seemed to change day by day. It was not long before Yohei learned to say "Daddy" and "Papa," as much as he could, and Eiji learned and mastered "No" perfectly only a day after Yohei. More words, however, seemed to emerge from their lips and minds day after day. Yohei learned "bottle," and Eiji learned "toy." Yohei learned "breakfast," and Eiji learned "nap." Then, they traded secrets, each picking up the others' words and using them. Gojyo was greeted each morning with calls for him, calls for breakfast, and sometimes, calls for "Baba." Half the time, he would come from the other room, half-dressed, half-asleep, but always content to pick whichever child had asked for him up, followed by the other.

"Papa's here," Sanzo murmured contently, rubbing their cheeks against his.

Sanzo also noticed that they were growing taller. It was difficult to tell, since they were usually on hands and knees, but when he stood them up between his knees, he could clearly see the difference. When he'd first started lifting them to a stand, Eiji's head only just came up below his knee, and Yohei's just slightly above that. Now, both boys were a centimeter or two over his knee. Gojyo had started on the practice as well, though he was a little less precarious than Sanzo.

"Yoink!" Gojyo surprised Yohei from behind, whipping Yohei up into the air and lifting him high. He landed Yohei on his feet in front of him, hands over his head. "Let's go!" Yohei squealed and toddled forward, still balanced on Gojyo's hands. Sanzo could hear the two of them laughing from the other room, and sighed down at Eiji on the changing table.

"Noisy, aren't they?" He remarked. Eiji giggled, holding his hands out to Sanzo as he fastened his diaper and pulled up his pants. "Patience. Papa will teach you to dress- I will teach you to dress yourself soon enough." He bit his lower lip in self-punishment- after a few weeks of reinforcing his own name to the boys, he had yet to break himself of speaking in third-person. Sanzo picked him up and walked back out to the living room, where Gojyo was making revving noises as he guided Yohei around the room. Sanzo kept quiet as he set Eiji down beside him.

"Hey, Kou, you staying over tonight?" Gojyo asked as he swung Yohei over his head again, eliciting delight from the infant.

"I suppose I could."

"Awesome." Gojyo smirked.

That night, after Sanzo and Gojyo tucked the boys in, they made themselves quietly comfortable as they usually did, tonight with the Mahjong board. With the bedroom door shut, the two of them were secure in smoking at the table as long as they left the window open, and they could have some adult conversation, or what passed for it between them.

"Hey, asshole, you hiding tiles in them sleeves?" Gojyo teased as Sanzo handily cleaned up another hand.

"Hmph. It's not my fault you're bad at this."

"There is no way you can win three rounds in a row without cheating."

"Whatever." Sanzo scoffed, and shoved his tiles back to the center of the table. "I'm going to get ready for bed."

"Yeah, guess we gotta get up early tomorrow." Gojyo got to his feet and began to put the tiles away.

Sanzo had, since beginning to spend more time with Gojyo, realized just how many preconceptions he'd had about the man had been utterly false. He had now attributed it to the negative image of the halo effect- since Gojyo had a few negative traits and Sanzo had originally decided he was an idiot and a pervert, he had assumed Gojyo was less than hygienic, that he lived sloppily, that he made no effort to keep the house or himself clean and presentable any more than absolutely necessary. He had dreaded having to try and either reform his bad habits or teach the boys better.

After nearly a year, he had quietly discarded most of these assumptions. Gojyo had a morning and evening routine that Sanzo had watched him complete without fail once the children had started to sleep through the nights. Each night, he scrubbed his face clean until his cheeks were red, he brushed his hair thoroughly, he brushed his teeth for three solid minutes, and splashed water under his arms. His morning routine was even more intense. (Sanzo had found himself mostly right about the house, at least- he knew the floors were only mopped and the windows only washed when Hakkai was home.) When Gojyo emerged from the bathroom, he looked and smelled fresh and clean. By the time he was done, Sanzo had already splashed water on his face and cleaned his teeth in the kitchen sink, took his day clothes off, and unfolded the futon into a bed.

"All set, huh?" Sanzo noticed how disappointed Gojyo sounded as he folded his arms and looked the futon over. He frowned back Gojyo as he strolled a few steps closer. "Is that futon really all that comfy?"

"I've never had a problem with it." Sanzo looked down at the mat. It was sunken-in in the middle, but Sanzo always slept close to the edge, so he didn't mind it.

"Why don't you try my bed?" Sanzo's head whipped back around to face Gojyo, who winked at him. "It's cushy." Sanzo had no cogent response to this, only able to stare as he tried to do the math. "If you don't want to-"

"I did not say that." Sanzo stood up. "Do you think you're prepared for that?"

"Hey, I'll try anything once. I mean, I don't honestly think you'd hurt me. I know, on paper, you ain't gonna hurt me while I'm not looking. I just want to put it into practice." Gojyo cocked his head and smirked. "So, I'd say we got about six hours on this trial run before someone soils himself. Wanna give it a go?"

Sanzo examined Gojyo's bed, as Gojyo tossed himself onto the side of the bed closest to the wall. He tested its firmness with his hand, nudged the sheets back, and slid into it alongside him. Gojyo pulled the sheets just up to his nose, leaving his toes bare and cold. Sanzo lay on his side, facing away from Gojyo, and realized he was in reach of the lamp. Gojyo had turned to the wall, but glanced over his shoulder every few seconds until Sanzo hit the switch, and the room was dark. The air that night was clear and rainless, so Sanzo slept quickly. He did not expect to wake to two surprises.

The first surprise was that somewhere in his sleep, Gojyo had rolled over and wrapped his arm around Sanzo's chest. Sanzo realized he was warm, but it was a cozy warm, not terribly unpleasant. The second was that another set of eyes, blue and bright, met his from the other side of the bed. Yohei had gotten out of the crib, was holding his toy turtle in his mouth, and was standing up with one hand balancing him on the side of the bed. Sanzo removed Gojyo's arm and sat up, and Yohei let go of the bed. Sanzo put his feet on the ground next to Yohei, and noticed that Yohei had not yet fallen. He turned and shoved Gojyo's chest.

"Shh, don't move," he murmured as Gojyo roused. Sanzo watched as Yohei took a step towards the bed and climbed up onto it. He got himself back up to a stand using Sanzo's leg to steady himself, then toddled around Sanzo's legs, balancing without a grip. Gojyo started to sit up.

"Camer-"

"No camera. Just watch," Sanzo murmured, and he picked Yohei up and put him on the floor. He got out of bed himself, and stood a few paces from Yohei. He got down on his knees. "Come to Papa, Yohei." Yohei stuck one chubby leg out, then lifted the other to meet it. He took a few wobbly, toddling steps forward, reached Sanzo, and fell forward against his knee. He giggled, and Sanzo hugged him. "Well done." He turned to Gojyo, still stroking Yohei's hair. "I won't forget this. I won't need a photograph."

"Papa," Yohei mumbled contently as Sanzo hugged him, and Gojyo chuckled as he sat up.

"They really are amazing, aren't they?" He rolled to a stand and beamed at Yohei. Yohei pushed himself away from Sanzo and tottered unevenly towards Gojyo, and Sanzo suddenly had the clarity to see that Eiji was not in the crib either. He was still and silent as he saw Eiji creeping up from the bottom of the bed behind Gojyo on his own two feet, simply resting his chin in his hand and observing as Eiji and Yohei each grabbed onto him. Gojyo laughed and grabbed both of them by their shirts, and hugged them. "I can't believe it! You guys are fan-damn-tastic!" Gojyo turned his eager smile to Sanzo, who lowered his head to obscure the smile on his own cheeks.

There were no words that could express the depth of the joy that warmed them from within- no smile could be sufficient.

* * *

**End Notes:** I know at least a few of you have been wondering where Doku- sorry, Jien was! If only Gojyo had a chimney- he'd probably be the worst Santa ever. And as always, the boys are nothing short of adorable.

That said, leave a review for anything you'd like to see, any questions you'd like answered, or anything else! We're back to an every-other-week schedule, though if I start seeing shorter chapters, I will be updating more frequently. I'll be sure to let you know. I'm not sure, but Part 2 of this little epic might be told in shorter chunks.

Until next time!


	7. We Survived the Year!

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author Notes:** Man, after updating two weeks in a row, I feel kind of like a loser for skipping a week! But this chapter took me forever to get done, to the point where I am now ignoring schoolwork to edit it! Aren't you all proud of me? (No, not really.) (Shut up.)

Review responses!

Dragon77: Don't worry, Jien will most certainly be around. The rest of his group, no doubt, will show up eventually.

RodiSquall: I'm sure Jien will be as careful as he wants to be. After all, he is a wanted criminal. And oh my yes is Gojyo taking a risk by not telling him about it. Sanzo's got enough trust issues as it is! Sanzo's already pushing his own boundaries by letting Gojyo and the boys get close to him, who knows what it'd come to if Gojyo started hiding things from Sanzo?

Kakashii'sWifey: Aww, you flatter me! Thank you! As for Hakkai, well, he's not doing anything "shady" per se, but he is definitely overworking himself. But this week is not the week to talk about that. This week, it's the boys' birthday!

Without further ado!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own and do not profit.

* * *

**6: We Survived the Year!**

"... And this is Uncle Ji." Gojyo set Eiji into Jien's open arm. Yohei was already awake and leaning on his other shoulder. Sanzo was away that night, and Gojyo had let Jien in a few hours before dawn, when he was changing the boys' diapers and had woken them anyway. Jien seemed amused with Gojyo's introduction.

"Uncle Ji, eh?"

"They ain't much for long words yet."

"Ca Ji?" Eiji took hold of Jien's ear, and he laughed.

"Ca Ji, kid. That's right." Jien wore a grin like a sideways moon as Eiji yanked on his ear. "And you're Eiji. And he's Yohei. You know your big brother's name yet?"

"Actually, he doesn't," Gojyo interjected, leaning against the bedroom wall and folding his arms as Jien shimmied the twins in his arms. "In fact, they can say anyone's name but each other's."

"Well, ain't that some shit." Jien cocked his head. "Do they know their own names?"

"Nah. They answer to them, but they don't say them yet." Gojyo shrugged his shoulders and took the spare moment to wipe off the changing table. "I'm surprised they pick up everyone else's name so fast, but their own escapes 'em."

"Well, kids are hard to predict. I remember when you were a baby, you'd start screaming every time I put your shoes on- and then when I took them off." Jien smirked at the memories, and Gojyo scoffed and turned away. "Oh, and then there was the time I took you to the park, and you looked at the little fountain they had there and started yelling 'bath, bath!' Of course, me and Dad told you no, but you threw yourself at the ground and started rolling around and screaming-"

"What, Dad was there?" Gojyo frowned, and Jien's face lost its excited animation.

"Ah, you were real little. Only a little older than they are now. It was before-"

"It was before people figured out what he'd done," Gojyo muttered, averting his eyes to hide his spite. He pushed himself off the wall and dug his fingers into Eiji's hair. "This one's only getting away with it because we told everyone we found him- and Yohei- abandoned. But ain't nobody pretending they like me."

"Bro, that ain't true-"

"Only adults I can talk to without getting the old side-eye are Hakkai, Sanzo, and Goku."

"You can talk to me-"

"At four in the morning, when nobody else is home."

"Shut up," Jien groaned. "Whose fault is that?" Yohei seemed to suddenly rouse and grabbed onto Jien's other ear, and he chuckled. "Not you, little guy."

"How can you expect my friends to be anywhere near willing to accept having you around? Besides that, you're kind of still a criminal. I bet Hakkai'd haul you in for both of your bounties in a second."

"Guess that means I'm not invited to the birthday party." Jien lifted Yohei to sit him on his shoulder and detach him from his ear.

"How'd you know their birthday was coming up?"

"You didn't figure it out?" Jien chuckled. "Guess it never came up. Well, aside from the fact that I can do math, I know a little more than you'd expect. Don't you remember, round this time four years ago, you and your buddies holed up in a little town for a few weeks straight to rest? How many times did they have to go off and take care of attackers?"

"I don't remember them having to fight at all- wait." Gojyo turned to Jien, eyebrows raised.

"Yup. Me, Kou, and Yaone tracked you there and gave out orders for our forces to give the place wide berth, reporting no signs of you bein' there and starting rumors that the place was home to a crew of crazy dangerous youkai hunters so they'd avoid it." Jien smirked proudly as Gojyo held his jaw shut. "And, if any idiot did wander a little bit too close, we took care of him for ya. Bro, I was walking a kilometer perimeter around that river the night your friends dragged you into it." Gojyo wrapped a strand of his hair around his finger, and Jien could see the wheels turning in his head.

"So, uh, you didn't see anything, did you?"

"Nah. We heard most of it, though. Yaone cried after she heard Eiji here start up." Jien rubbed his chin on Eiji's head. "We had no idea what you did with them after that. Kou said we'd wasted enough time on you all, we'd done our part, and we beat you to your next checkpoint, but all of us wondered where they'd gone."

"I had no idea." Gojyo laced his fingers into his hair. "I... damn. Thanks."

"What are big brothers for, right?" Jien grinned and set Yohei down. "Since I ain't gonna get no cake out of you guys, I might as well pass these on now." He picked up the satchel he'd dragged into the house with him and held it out to Gojyo. "For them."

Gojyo took the satchel and opened it. Two pair of shoes were inside, one red and gold, one black and blue. "Whoa." He took the shoes out. "These are nice!" He examined the tops and bottoms- the soles were soft, but firm enough to walk on. "These things must've been expensive."

"Not too bad, really."

"But they're gonna outgrow 'em in like, a month."

"Don't care. If they're on their feet- and they are- they need shoes." Jien watched as Yohei toddled from Jien's side to Gojyo and began to wander. He was more steady on his feet by the day, and he was getting better at climbing, too. "See? Needs shoes." Jien set Eiji down, and took the blue shoes from Gojyo. He got on his hands and knees and began to slide Eiji's feet into them. "Fit pretty good, too." He set Eiji on his feet again, and Eiji shook his feet curiously.

"Are they heavy on you?" Gojyo got on his knees as Eiji tottered unsteadily forth.

"He just ain't used to 'em." Jien smirked and lifted Eiji off his feet again, and took the shoes off. "Guess you'll have to hide them until their birthday."

"Yeah, I'll wrap them up. You care if I say I got them?"

"Nah, I don't care. As long as they get some good use out of them." Jien handed the shoes back to Gojyo, and took his empty satchel in hand. "I'd best be on my way. You be sure and sing double-loud for me when they get their cake."

* * *

October 11th arrived, and Sanzo arrived in the morning with Goku a few meters behind him. The latter was overloaded with parcels up to his eyeballs, while Sanzo carried a single box. He didn't even have to knock, as the door was flung open the moment they approached the door.

"There you are!" Gojyo beamed. Hakkai turned over his shoulder from the kitchen. "Man, look at all that stuff!"

"Yeah, Sanzo would'a bought out the whole store, but I couldn't carr-" Goku hissed as he caught up with Sanzo and Sanzo discreetly picked his foot up off Goku's.

"It seemed a modest offering would be appropriate," Sanzo explained as he stepped back and urged Goku into the house. "After all, they grow more day by day. I've brought clothes to last them the year."

"Excellent!" Gojyo clapped his hands together, as Goku gawked at the pile of presents already in the house.

"Sheesh, are these all from you?!" Goku started trying to count the boxes, and Gojyo snickered.

"Well, me and Hakkai."

"I've been budgeting this for months," Hakkai explained from his place over the stove. Goku promptly dumped the presents and rushed to see what he was doing, much to Sanzo's disgust. Gojyo snickered again and shut the door as Sanzo tried to straighten the tower of presents and checked to ensure none of them were dented.

"What'cha cookin'?" Goku asked as he peeked over Hakkai's shoulder and around his back.

"Birthday noodles." Hakkai demonstrated by stretching out the dough on the counter. "Extra-long for an extra-long life!"

"Whoa, can they eat that?" Goku gawked as Hakkai stretched the noodle to his arms' width.

"We might have to cut it up," Hakkai admitted sheepishly, still beaming proudly. "But we can eat ours."

"Awesome!" Goku's nose followed the path of the noodle in the air as Hakkai stretched and pulled the noodle longer and broader over his hands. "I'll take six!" Gojyo cuffed Goku across the head as he passed him to yank Yohei from peeking through the pantry.

"So, since we've got some time before lunch, what were we gonna do to celebrate?" He pulled Eiji out from under the table and flung the pair of them over his shoulders.

"I'm not sure." Sanzo looked Eiji up and down over Gojyo's shoulder, and Eiji looked him up and down in return, bobbing his head and giggling.

"Why don't you take them out of the neighborhood?" Hakkai suggested. "They've never left the area before, have they?"

"Hey, yeah, we could take 'em to town!" Gojyo grinned and snapped his fingers. Sanzo frowned, surprised, but Gojyo expounded, "Why don't we take 'em to a park or something? Isn't there a spot in town with, like, a petting zoo for kids?"

"I- I suppose there is." Sanzo drew his lips tight in thought. "But-"

"But what? Kids love animals and shit!"

"Watch it," Sanzo warned.

"Ah, come on, they'll have a great time!" Gojyo pleaded, and turned both boys to look at Sanzo. "Come on, guys, tell Papa- we wanna see the animals!"

"Anna-muls?" Eiji repeated, cocking his head.

"Annas!" Yohei chimed in.

"Fine, fine," Sanzo murmured, and rubbed his temples- he was getting a headache just thinking about it. "I suppose I know somewhere they can go to see animals." He looked at Goku, who had his nose hovering less than a centimeter over the edge of the steaming pot on the stove. "Do you want to come along?"

"Eh?" Goku looked up. "Me? Well, yeah!" He grinned. "Why would you think I wouldn't wanna come?"

"I dunno, maybe it's cause you're only thinking about lunch," Gojyo teased. "Awright- wait, one thing before we go!" He set the boys down and went to the pile of parcels, swiftly sorting through them. Sanzo took a moment to put his box in their icebox, then caught the boys and started putting their jackets on. Gojyo yanked out one of the boxes and put it down. "Let's open this one early!" Sanzo glanced at the box, shrugged, and released Yohei.

"Go on, look," he urged the two, and they toddled back towards Gojyo. He grinned at them.

"That's right, this is your first present, isn't it? Daddy'll show you how!" He grabbed the corner of the paper and tore it off. "See? You try."

Ten seconds later, the paper was gone and being used as a hat and scarf, and the boys were jumping and squealing as they threw shredded paper bits into the air. Gojyo laughed as Sanzo tried to get the two them back to Gojyo. "No, you look in the box!" He demonstrated by lifting the lid, and pulled out the shoes. "See, now your feet will be safe!"

"Actually, I can totally see where they're coming from on the pretty paper thing," Goku giggled, and Sanzo managed to wrangle the both of them closer to Gojyo and let him slide the shoes onto their feet.

"Good thinking. If they're going to walk around outside, their feet should be protected," Sanzo murmured thoughtfully. "Convenient, that you had these."

"Call it intuition," Gojyo joked, hiding a flop sweat behind a brazen grin.

"Intuition? Isn't that a lady-thing?" Goku wondered.

"Eat me." Gojyo finished tying Eiji's shoes, as Hakkai stifled a giggle into his fist, and Gojyo snarled over his shoulder, "What, you makin' fun of me too?"

"Oh, no, no," Hakkai dismissed sweetly, and he laid out the noodles across the counter. "Do ignore me. Have a nice time!"

"Did you want to come too, man?" Gojyo asked as he started tying Yohei's red and gold shoes.

"No, thank you. I think I'd rather rest. I haven't had a day to myself in a few months and all. You understand, don't you?" Hakkai continued to smile blithely, and Gojyo grinned uneasily back.

"Yeah, sure." He set Yohei down, and unfolded the stroller. "Well, let's head out!"

It was an awkward parade, but clearly a pleasant one. Gojyo led the way, pushing the boys in the stroller, and Goku followed close behind with the diaper back. Sanzo was a meter behind Goku, warily watching around the street. Gojyo and Goku were chatting with the twins, though they could only just respond with one or two-word interjections:

"See, buddy, look at all the houses! This is what the city looks like," Gojyo explained as they got onto the main road into the city.

"House!" Eiji exhorted. "See!"

"Yeah, houses and cities, and look, other kids!" Goku leaned in front of the stroller to point out another stroller, this one pushed by a woman with a parasol slung over her shoulder. "See, they got their own stroller, just like you!"

"Stoll?" Yohei looked up at Goku.

"Yeah, see, another stroller!" Goku pointed, and Yohei followed his gaze. "Wave hi!"

"Hi! Hi!" Both of the twins waved to the woman across the street, and Gojyo chuckled.

"Making friends, huh?" He looked over his shoulder at Sanzo. "So, where exactly are we going?"

"Take a left after three blocks," Sanzo murmured.

"Gotcha!" Gojyo grinned. "You knew that pretty quick. You been lookin' into stuff like this?"

"Shut up," Sanzo growled under his breath, and cast suspicious eyes around the street. It was a quiet morning, with few people around, but Sanzo could feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end as though he were being watched. Gojyo only chortled.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, y'know."

"You're one to talk," Sanzo rebuked, and glanced around once more. He could almost imagine the baby in the stroller across the street fixing him with a scrutinizing gaze.

The park was a short walk from the city limits, and Gojyo could follow the path there from the sound of children and goats alike. "Here we are," he announced to the boys, and unbuckled them from the stroller. "We're going for a walk!" He helped each of them from the stroller to their feet, and took each hand in one of his. However, this forced him to stoop to keep holding onto them, and he discovered when he stood upright that this lifted the boys some distance off the ground. He chuckled and picked Eiji up. "Okay, Yohei, follow me!" Yohei toddled behind Gojyo, and Sanzo folded up the stroller.

"Here." Sanzo took a strap out of the diaper bag and hooked it to the stroller, which he then loaded onto Goku's back. "You don't mind, of course."

"You're a jerk!" Goku complained, but he still hoisted up the stroller onto his back and followed Gojyo and Sanzo to the ticket booth.

"Two adults, three kids," Gojyo pointed to the group. The woman behind the counter looked them over.

"He looks like an adult to me," she said, squinting at Goku.

"Who said he was the third kid? I was talkin' about me!" Gojyo grinned, but put down the money for the proper ticket count. The clerk only rolled her eyes and waved them through, until she spotted Sanzo.

"Aren't you-" She stopped as he turned a stony glare at her. "Ah, never mind!" She laughed to herself and Sanzo hid a soft grumble as he passed her by, as the whole family passed the gates into the zoo.

"Hmph. It's not as..." Sanzo trailed off as Gojyo and Goku took the scene in- the area was lined with booths and signs pointing the way to different exhibits, and lots and lots of children with their parents. "It's terribly crowded, isn't it?"

"Yeah, pretty cool!" Gojyo beamed.

"Should we put the boys back in the stroller, just to keep a grip on them?" Sanzo suggested with a wary frown. He quickly grabbed Eiji as he tried to prove Sanzo's point by wandering towards a candy floss vendor.

"Nah, we could probably use the practice corralling them." Gojyo chuckled as he patted Yohei on the back. "Worst come to worst, we'll put 'em on leashes like a couple'a little dogs."

Sanzo scoffed as he guided Eiji back to the front of the group. "Fine. Let's just get this over with."

"Oh, are you really gonna pout about spending a day out with the kids?" Gojyo taunted Sanzo with a smirk.

"We're in public. Show some restraint," Sanzo warned, glowering around as he felt eyes on the back of his neck.

"Fine, fine," Gojyo grumbled, and pulled away from Sanzo, with the boys following at his side. "Let's go see the ducks!"

* * *

The duck pond was the first stop on the less crowded, counter-clockwise route through the park. Gojyo put down 3 yuan for a bag of cracked corn, and herded the boys to the water's edge.

"See the duckies? Ducks, yeah?" Gojyo pointed to the raft of ducks paddling lazily near the center of the pond. Sanzo watched, bemused, as the boys reinterpreted Gojyo's words with limited success. "Ducks! You'll think they're tasty someday. Let's give the duckies something yummy." He fiddled with the bag for a moment, trying to divide the corn equally in his hands, as Goku tugged Sanzo's sleeve.

"What is it?" Sanzo hissed.

"I want some corn too," Goku whispered.

"Hell no!" Sanzo snapped back. "You can't be that hungry."

"No, I wanna feed the ducks!"

"No."

"Fine." Goku trudged towards Gojyo. "Can I have a little to try?"

"Sure, whatever." Gojyo straightened up and put a pinch of the corn in Goku's hand, to Sanzo's disgust. However, he did not notice that Yohei had suddenly decided to get a closer look at the ducks.

"Duck duck!" He called, waving his hands and running into the water. Gojyo yelped and quickly yanked the boy out of the mud, causing the boy to erupt in wild laughter as Gojyo swung him back onto dry land. Eiji jumped up and down, laughing and throwing his corn into the air, pattering onto the ground all around him. The ducks' heads all whipped around at once at the noise.

"Damn it!" Gojyo swore as the ducks swarmed onto land and pecked at the corn around them. Sanzo seized Yohei from Gojyo and began to try and wring his pant legs out, as Eiji reached for the ducks to try and pet them. Goku doubled over laughing, and Gojyo quickly pulled Eiji away from the ducks before he could discover their fickle nature. "Next stop!" Goku tossed his handful of corn over his shoulder to keep the ducks distracted as the fivesome made their escape.

* * *

Sanzo managed to get Yohei's pants mostly clean and only just damp, and Gojyo examined Eiji up and down. "Not a scratch," he reported.

"Good. What's next?" Sanzo was already bracing himself in anticipation.

"Bunny rabbits!" Goku pointed eagerly at the sign. "Ooh, can we feed them?"

"Yeah, I'll bet they have carrots," Gojyo replied with a grin. "And how much trouble can we get in with bunny rabbits?"

There was indeed a stand selling cut carrots and shredded cabbage for feeding the rabbits. There were a few other families there, but though a few children were inside the fence trying to beckon the rabbits closer, the rabbits did not seem interested at all, only hopping away when nudged. "Okay, guys, we have to be nice to the bunnies," he explained as Goku managed to herd a particularly large, brown rabbit closer to their spot along the fence. He handed a leaf of cabbage to each boy. "Watch how Daddy does it." He hopped the fence and crouched near the twitching rabbit. It gave him a wearied look, but he chuckled and ignored it. He held his hand completely flat, a piece of cabbage on the edge of his fingers. Goku kept one hand along the side of the rabbit to keep it from fleeing, and the boys leaned against the fence.

"Dada-"

"Shhh," Sanzo hushed them, resting his hands on their shoulders. The rabbit sniffed Gojyo's hand, and Gojyo smirked.

"That's right, Mr. Bunny, take the tasty leaf-" The rabbit promptly swiped the leaf and boxed Gojyo's arm. "Jerk!" Goku tried to keep the rabbit close, but it jumped in a circle and bit down on his arm. Goku rolled back into the dirt as the rabbit hopped away, kicking dirt at them all the way. "Goddamn furry monsters!" The rest of the rabbits turned with wicked gleams in their button-like red and black eyes, and charged towards Goku and Gojyo. The twins burst out laughing, and the vegetable vendor jumped from behind the stall, screaming;

"What did you do to my rabbits?!"

"Run!" Gojyo grabbed Goku's arm and yanked him roughly over the fence, and Sanzo guided the boys away from the rampaging bunny rabbits as they began to try and chew the fence down.

* * *

"Goats. How much harm can goats be?" Gojyo laughed nervously as they came up on the goat pen. Sanzo sighed; he could still hear the uproar from the other families at the rabbit hutches.

"I dunno how much harm the animals are," Sanzo muttered as Gojyo approached the vendor to drop another 3 yuan on corn. "I think we're the h-"

"Hey, guys, let's feed the goats!" Gojyo urged the boys towards the goat pen. He lifted Eiji up first, and he held his handful of corn out to the goats. The goats jostled for position, and Eiji giggled as they vacuumed the corn from his palm. Gojyo put Eiji down and filled Yohei's palm. "Don't wiggle, okay?" He held Yohei out, and Yohei held his hand, palm convex, to let the goats nibble the corn from it. He laughed brightly, and Gojyo grinned, pleased. "Okay, now turn your hand like this," he instructed, and held his hand out, palm down and cupped, and stroked the top of the goats' head.

"Are you sure that's safe?" Sanzo interjected, taking a step forward.

"Of course! It's a petting zoo, right?" Gojyo held Yohei forward, and Yohei reached out and patted the goat atop the head. Yohei squealed as the goat bleated and sniffed his hand. Sanzo lowered his head and looked away, discreetly peering around at all the other families, the mothers and fathers with their young children. Meanwhile, Goku had dumped the stroller and bag next to Sanzo and went to lift up Eiji to give him a second chance with the goats.

"Oh, they're cute!" A woman blurted, and Sanzo turned to look at her. She smiled sweetly, though he still frowned. "Why, Lord Sanzo, are they yours?"

"They are my wards," he murmured, and looked away from the woman.

"They're precious!" She sidled close to him. "Why, from everything I'd heard about you, I'd not have thought you the type to come out to a place like this."

"It is for their benefit," Sanzo replied, maintaining a bored monotone.

"Papa, goa! Goa!" Eiji yelled to him as Gojyo handed him another handful of corn.

"Yes, I see," Sanzo answered, as the woman giggled.

"Oh, they call you Papa?"

"It was their idea," he muttered, wishing he could crawl out of his own skin.

"Hey, Sanzo, there's donkeys and stuff at the next stop!" Goku waved to him as Gojyo put Eiji down. "Come on, let's go!"

"Excuse me." Sanzo took up the diaper bag and skulked away from the giggling woman, and Gojyo happily led the way forward with the twins close behind. Goku only just remembered to grab the stroller and taking up the rear. The woman quickly turned to her husband, who was watching their children nearby.

"Dear, did you see that?"

"What, the High Priest?" Her husband glanced behind him at their retreating backs. "After all he and his companions went through, he's allowed his eccentricities. Let them be." No more was said between them, though the sentiment remained unresolved to other ears and minds. Sanzo's paranoia was not unfounded.

* * *

"Before we ride, you're gonna learn to say it right," Gojyo told Eiji and Yohei. They were sitting on his shoulders as they waited in line, tickets paid for and in hand. "Okay, so repeat after me: Don. Key."

"Donny!" Both boys replied with their usual happy chirps.

"Don KEY!" Gojyo repeated. Goku, who had stayed out of the line to get an ice cream for himself, looked around at the sound of Gojyo's voice, then dismissed the thought.

"Don!"

"Ni!" The boys blurted in chorus. Gojyo laughed to himself, as the boys laughed at each other.

"I'm startin' to think the both of you got my brains," he chuckled, and Sanzo pinched the bridge of his nose.

"I've been worried about that all along."

"Asshole." Gojyo prodded Sanzo in the ribs, and Sanzo smacked his hand away.

"Watch your language, there are children around."

"Please, none of them can understand me," Gojyo sneered back, ignoring the dirty looks he was receiving from some of the women near him in line as their children tugged on their sleeves with looks of intense curiosity painting their eyes. Sanzo only sighed deeply as they advanced to the front of the line. The tamer, a middle-aged youkai wearing a bright red vest, squinted as Sanzo lifted Eiji off of Gojyo's shoulder.

"Aren't you the-"

"I am. I just want to let my wards ride the donkey," Sanzo insisted quietly.

"Actually, this here's a mule." The horse tamer patted the large, dun-brown animals side proudly.

"Moo!" Eiji blurted, clearly excited as Sanzo placed him onto the saddle.

"'At's right, mule!" Gojyo beamed, then panicked as Eiji began to slide off. Both Sanzo and Gojyo reached out and caught him. "Ah, crap, they ain't gonna stay on, are they?"

"Not on their own- how about one of you ride with them?" The tamer offered, stepping aside. "Free of charge, of course- I know who you guys are."

"I'm grateful, but I don't like animals," Sanzo muttered.

"Animals don't like me," Gojyo added. The two traded a quiet look that said, 'And yet, here we are.'

"Janken?"

"Winner takes all, loser takes a ride," Gojyo agreed.

One paper and one rock later, Sanzo mounted the donkey, and Gojyo passed the boys up to him. "Relax, this'll be much easier than riding that white stallion to India!" The tamer joked as Sanzo managed to balance one baby on each knee.

"White stallion?" Sanzo drew his lips tight- this was nothing more than a reminder that he needed to work on his memoirs, as he was certain that was definitely not the case. "I believe the story you heard may have been somehow skewed-"

"Giddyap!" The horse tamer gave the mule a light swat on the bottom, and the beast lurched into motion. Sanzo pinned both boys to his knees as if his arms were a ten-point seatbelt, until he realized that having both children in his lap left him without a hand to hold onto the animal with. The tamer guided the mule by its harness at a mere trot, and the bouncing gait delighted the twins. Sanzo, however, could think of a thousand complaints, most of which involved the sensitive skin between his thighs and the rest of which involved his pitching stomach. However, he remained silent through the entire ride, even as the boys yanked on his robes and squealed excitedly. He couldn't even react when he saw Goku had broken out the camera.

"Did you guys have fun?" Gojyo asked as they arrived at the gate, where Sanzo passed Yohei down to him and dismounted.

"Define 'we.'" He held Eiji out at arm's length and carried him away from the ring with a spiteful glower in his eyes. Gojyo tipped the tamer with a 10 yuan coin.

"Thanks for the ride, man." Gojyo set Yohei down, and Yohei followed at his heels. Goku managed to scoop up the bag and shove the camera back in it as they chased Sanzo down the path.

"Hey, are you really that upset?" Gojyo asked as Sanzo released Eiji onto the ground again. "If you'd rather just wait at home, I won't get mad."

"How generous of you," Sanzo snarled back, his voice thick and sour with sarcasm. "This is humiliating."

"It's part of being a parent. Ain't nobody judging you for spending time with your _wards_." Gojyo hated the way the word felt in his mouth. "Look, if you wanna leave-"

"Papa, like moo?" Eiji interrupted from Sanzo's knee. Sanzo looked down at him, and knelt to speak on his level.

"Did Eiji like the mule?" Sanzo asked in return.

"Uh huh!" Eiji grinned his toothless grin, and Sanzo smoothed his scruffy hair back.

"Good. Onward." He led the party down the path, and Gojyo chuckled under his breath.

"Guess it ain't that big a deal," he said to himself, stuffed his hands in his pockets and followed Eiji and Yohei.

* * *

The path between the mule rides and the last attraction was interrupted by a clown blowing up balloons and tying them into shapes. His face was painted into a mock weep, but his own mouth was smiling widely. The effect was, to say the least, unnerving, as the clown turned his wide, unblinking eyes with exaggerated eyelashes towards them. Yohei and Eiji matched the looks of disgust on their fathers' faces.

"Nope," Gojyo decided aloud.

"No," Sanzo agreed.

"Hell no," the boys chimed in, and the party quickly moved on, even as Goku tried to linger.

"But- I wanna balloon!" He groaned and dashed after them, all as the clown continued hawking his wares without a second thought.

* * *

The last section on their path through the park was a small barnyard area, with a pen for chickens, a muddy sty for pigs that was somehow dirtier than Sanzo had imagined it could be, and even a cow chewing her cud. It seemed another good opportunity for the boys to try and feed the animals, but Sanzo realized they were slowing down. Eiji had only managed to keep up with Gojyo by grabbing onto his pant leg, and Yohei had sat down in the path and reached up for Sanzo. Now, as they surveyed the animals, Yohei was half-asleep against Sanzo's chest, his chin on his shoulder. Gojyo, however, was unrelenting.

"See, there's a cow! You know what the cow says, right?" Gojyo was carrying Eiji on his shoulders. Eiji yawned. "Aww, come on, we talked about this!"

"I think it's about nap time," Goku said as he waved his hand in front of Eiji's eyes. Eiji's gaze didn't follow his fingers, and he instead yawned and buried his face in Gojyo's jacket.

"But we didn't even get to show them everything," Gojyo whined, sounding childishly disappointed. Sanzo squinted at him as he sulked.

"They're only a year old, we can't expect them to go on long adventures like yet." Sanzo glanced down at the front of his robes, as he realized the mud stains on Yohei's pants had spread to his clothes too. "They're enough trouble as it is."

"Ah, you're right. I guess we ought'a pack up and head home." Gojyo's lips shifted into a forlorn smile, until Goku pulled out the camera.

"Wait, I didn't get any pictures of you and the kids! Let me get a picture with everyone!" Goku grinned, sharp canines bright in the afternoon sun. Somehow, Goku's smile was not nearly as pleasant as it used to be, and Gojyo took a surprised step back.

"Uh- yeah, sure!" He forced a cheerful smile, and yanked Sanzo by the sleeve. "Let's stand by the cow!"

The cow was all but disinterested in the two men and the infants in each of their arms, as Goku adjusted the camera. "Try and get them to face forward," Gojyo urged as he adjusted Eiji in his arms.

"He seems comfortable, I don't want to move him," Sanzo replied dully, and rubbed Yohei's back. He didn't want to tell Gojyo that he was loathe to spread the mud to the rest of his robe.

"Eh, fine," Gojyo sighed, and looked over to Goku. "We good yet?"

"Yeah, I think it's ready!" He held the camera up. "Smile!"

Sanzo did not know he was about to regret not turning Yohei around, as in the few moments he'd taken his eyes off of him, Yohei had woken just enough to see the cow's face fairly close to his. He, of course, reached for the cow and grabbed a handful of its short fur. The cow bellowed in rage and stomped off to the other side of the pasture, splattering Sanzo and Gojyo with what both decided to pretend was about 95 percent mud, and both of the children woke completely and started to cry right as Goku snapped the photograph.

"Got it!" He looked up, and his jaw hung open when he realized that the photo would probably include Gojyo trying to comfort Eiji while Sanzo stomped his feet and cursed under his breath. "Well, at least it'll be a unique picture," he chuckled nervously to himself, as Gojyo broke away from the fence, trying not to swear, and Sanzo skulked behind him, still bouncing Yohei on his arm in a bid to quiet him to little avail.

* * *

After that, they'd left the petting zoo in a hurry, unfolded the stroller, and Gojyo led them back out of the city. Yohei and Eiji were soundly asleep only a few minutes after Sanzo had buckled them in, and he now followed Gojyo a few paces behind him.

"Did you at least have fun?" Gojyo asked over his shoulder. Sanzo had no cogent reply, but Gojyo prodded onward; "I mean, they were kind of a pain, but we had fun."

"They enjoyed themselves," Sanzo conceded, folding his hands in his sleeves. "That will do."

"Listen to you," Gojyo sneered, and winked at Sanzo. "You don't gotta be so uptight. Not with me, at least."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Fine, fine," Gojyo sighed, and faced forward to keep an eye on the road. A few steps behind Sanzo, Goku yawned and stretched his arms over his head.

"Hey, Sanzo, do they make those stroller things in my size? Would you push me home too?"

Sanzo could not remember the last time he'd had to use the harisen. He did, however, quickly remember just how satisfying that slapping sound was.

The rest of the walk was quiet, with only the slightest noise of Gojyo humming to the boys along the way to liven up the breeze through the city streets and the nostalgic rustling of leaves on the path to the suburbs. Sanzo relished this peace, occasionally leaning forward to ensure that yes, the boys were still asleep, and they seemed to be smiling in their dreams.

The little party arrived back at Gojyo's house and Gojyo and Sanzo carried the boys into the house to let Goku fold and stow the stroller. Hakkai was asleep at the table, though it was hard to tell; his eyes were open, and he appeared to be smiling at the wall with his chin balanced on his folded hands. The noodles were covered on the counter with a tea towel, and the broth was on the stove over a very low flame. The size of the flame, however, was no comfort in comparison to its presence.

"Shit, he left the stove on," Gojyo groaned, and turned the stove off before going to set Eiji down in the crib. Sanzo had set himself to work changing Yohei's clothes. "Lemme go deal with Hakkai, he shouldn't sleep like that." Sanzo nodded, and Gojyo went back out to the kitchen. He hoisted Hakkai from the chair by his underarms, and Hakkai seemed to briefly flutter his eyelids to lucidity.

"Hmm?"

"Wake up, bro, it's time for bed," Gojyo teased, and hauled him over to the futon. Hakkai murmured something indistinct as Gojyo laid him out on his side across the unfolded mattress, tucked a pillow under his head, and yanked the boys' play mat on top of him. Hakkai's arm dangled over the edge, the sleeve bunched up to his elbow, and Gojyo noticed something as he went to tuck it back onto the mattress- a litany of scars that Gojyo did not remember seeing before, all in varied stages of healing, right up to an almost-freshly bandaged wound midway up his forearm. "Man, what have you been getting yourself into?" Gojyo wondered aloud, his lips pursing and eyebrows creasing.

While the boys napped, Gojyo put himself to work finishing dinner. 'It can't be too hard,' he reasoned with himself as he got the broth back up to a boil and started tossing noodles in. Goku wasn't there to object, as he'd laid down on the nursery floor to take a nap as well, and Sanzo knew as much about cooking as Gojyo and could only watch him over the top headline in the newspaper. When the boys woke from their nap, Sanzo changed and dressed them while Gojyo tried his damnedest to separate the stuck-together noodles, and sat them down with the rest of their presents. Gojyo immediately decided to ignore the gluey mess he'd made of Hakkai's noodles to watch them shred through the paper and yank the new toys and books from the boxes Hakkai had packed them in just to get at the empty spaces. Even Hakkai woke up at their squeals, then sat up to watch them, silently smiling with his chin in his palm.

"My, but they do grow up fast," he chuckled to himself. "Last year, they wouldn't have known what to do with a box if they'd tried."

"They didn't know what to do with anything," Gojyo replied, grinning proudly as Eiji compared the empty box with the colorful stacking rings Sanzo had selected. "Now, they're little geniuses." He smirked as Eiji shoved his head into the box. "At least, by comparison."

Hakkai managed to rescue most of the soup, but the adults let the boys try and feed themselves the first bite of it. This only ended with soup on the table, in their hair, and on the floor, and Gojyo chuckled as he took up Eiji's spoon. Sanzo seemed rather proud as Yohei gummed on his noodles as well. "Is it tasty?" He asked, and flicked a bit of noodle from Yohei's hair.

"Ahh!" Yohei opened his mouth wide.

"That sounds like a yes to me," Gojyo chuckled.

After the boys finished their meal, Goku got a shot to show them his hidden talent. "You said these were extra-long, right?" He asked as he found the end of his noodle with his chopsticks.

"Easily as long as I am tall," Hakkai confirmed as he started washing the dishes.

"Perfect! Okay, guys, watch this!" Goku tucked the end of his noodle into his mouth and began to slurp. Yohei and Eiji watched in wonder as flecks of broth splattered around his mouth, and the noodle began to vanish. In less than a minute, Goku had compressed the entire noodle into his cheeks. He chewed a few times, then swallowed and pumped his fists into the air. "Flawless victory!"

"That was gross," Gojyo moaned, but the twins laughed and raised little fists into the air.

"Since you seem to be enjoying dinner so much," Sanzo interrupted, looking away from the icebox momentarily to glare at Goku. "I suppose you won't want dessert." He pulled out the box he'd brought with him that morning and flipped it open. Gojyo stood up to get a look: it was a rather small cake, covered in a chocolate glaze with neat writing on top: "Happy Birthday, Yohei and Eiji."

"Shit, I totally forgot about getting a cake!" Gojyo laughed, as the irony hit him. "Man, all those times I wished we had a damn cake on this day, and I just forget it!"

"I had assumed you would," Sanzo shrugged and lifted the cake out of the box

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Gojyo cocked his eyebrows.

"Nothing. Here." He took a candle from out of the box. "Lighter?"

"Yup." Gojyo yanked his lighter from his back pocket as Sanzo planted the candle in the middle of the cake. "Should we put two?"

"I'll be satisfied if they can blow one out." Sanzo lit the candle and lifted it up. Gojyo shoved Goku under the table, knocking his third noodle from his mouth, and made room for Sanzo to put the cake down. The boys cooed and cocked their heads like a pair of confused Pekingese, and Gojyo crouched between them.

"Okay, guys, you gotta make a wish, and then we blow out the candle!"

"Wis?" Yohei cocked his head in the other direction.

"Somethin' you want. I'll make a wish for you, if you like." Gojyo closed his eyes. "I wish for..." Sanzo folded his arms as Gojyo thought, thinking of all the things he could wish for.

Good health. Intelligence. Shiny, new teeth, or ease with teething. Happiness. Any or all of the above.

"I wish for you two to get really tall this year!" Gojyo finally decided with a grin as Sanzo grimaced. He put his arm over both of the boys' shoulders. "Now, we blow the candle out!" He puffed his cheeks out and quickly shielded both of their mouths to keep them from spitting on the cake as he blew the candle out. "Happy birthday, guys." He turned and kissed each one on the forehead, before turning to get a knife. Sanzo hid his smile into his sleeve as both boys tried to reach out and grab the cake, Goku managed to get out from under the table to start whining at Gojyo, and Hakkai chuckled to himself as he got the plates out.

They had survived the first year. He and his strange, annoying little crowd had made it through alive. One down, and hopefully many, many more to go.

* * *

**End Notes:** D'awwwww.

Next time, some big changes are coming to our "happy" little household! Gojyo's had all he can take, and he can't takes no more! Until then!


	8. Moving On Up

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author Notes:** What a week... my final project fell to pieces, burned my thumb working with sugar, but still flying high on solid A's! Now I just gotta find a job using all these new skills. But at least I don't have to worry about class anymore...

Review responses!

RodiSquall: Of course the bunnies are evil... What with all the goddamn plot bunnies I have running around my head when I'm trying to do my goddamn homework. Seriously, I have Yu-Gi-Oh fanfiction ideas running rampant. I only ever read the first manga! I don't play the silly card games! They won't go away- ahem. But I had a roommate who had a pet rabbit, Momiji (like Fruits Basket) and this thing hated my guts. Pissed on my pillow, boxed my legs whenever I got close, never let me scratch her ears... Long story short, rabbits are assholes. Anyway, I only do the pinky-up when I'm drinking tea.

Dragon77: I have the same trouble with Goku here as I did in both the first King Rat and No Mercy- he doesn't have as much of a place in this dynamic as he does with the regular foursome. He and Gojyo are friends, but he doesn't operate on the same human drama as the adults do. I wish I had more to do with him, just because he is such a fun character!

Kakashii'sWifey: Yeah, we know just how hard Hakkai's been working, out of the house at all hours, home for only a few minutes at a time... leaving Gojyo stuck in the house. So, something's gotta give!

On that note!

DISCLAIMER: Still not mine, except the original characters, which for this chapter is just Yohei and Eiji.

* * *

**7: Moving On Up**

"You can't keep doing this." Gojyo's voice halted Hakkai as he started towards the front door again. The boys were fast asleep, including Goku, and Sanzo and Gojyo were cleaning up the kitchen from the party. Sanzo stopped scrubbing the table as Gojyo put the sponge down and turned to Hakkai with folded arms. "Get over here and let me see your arms."

"I beg your pardon?" Hakkai slowly pivoted to face Gojyo, and Gojyo strode towards him. He yanked Hakkai's arm from his side and rolled up the sleeve.

"All these are new." He spread his fingers across his arm, touching a new scar with each one. "You've been getting yourself beat up for my sake, and I can't stand by any longer."

"You know I don't mind." Hakkai pulled his arm away.

"But I do, bro." Gojyo planted his hands on Hakkai's shoulders. "You work all day, all week, for weeks on end. You don't come home for more than a few hours at a time when you do. You work yourself to the bone. It's time I at least helped."

"No, no," Sanzo growled as he turned to join the conversation. "Gojyo, you are needed here."

"I've taken a year off working to raise the boys." Gojyo looked back to Sanzo. "They're not as needy as they used to be. I can at least work some nights, as long as you're home to watch 'em. I'm not talking every night-"

"Begging your pardon, we're only just getting by with as it is," Hakkai interrupted, and pushed Gojyo's hands from his shoulders. "And I could never ask you to abandon the boys just for my sake."

"I wouldn't abandon them. I just want to help you. You're going to get yourself killed." Gojyo scowled and put his hands on his hips. "You and I will get a lot more done together."

"You're a year out of practice," Sanzo cut in. "You will get yourself hurt, or worse."

"Please, you know I can handle myself. Are you seriously saying I should keep letting him go out alone?"

"No, certainly not." Sanzo closed in on the pair, half-blocking Hakkai's path to the door. "I think the two of you need to think of alternatives to bounty-hunting."

"Hah! No way!" Gojyo rolled his eyes. "What sort of idiot would hire me?"

"I don't know what sort of employer would take me, either," Hakkai added.

"Please, Kou, let's at least try it." Gojyo yanked on Hakkai's wrist in an attempt to force the image of a united front. "I'll go help Hakkai some nights when you're here, and still be around for the boys during the day." He looked back to Hakkai. "You can still do stuff without me, but you can save the hard ones for me."

"That really isn't necessary," Hakkai insisted, pulling his hand away from Gojyo, who promptly turned around and caught it again.

"How did you get that?" He pointed at the fresh bandage.

"It's really none of your concern." Hakkai brushed him off.

"Bullshit it's not. Look, you guys can have it one of two ways- either I help Hakkai a couple nights a week, or I go by my goddamn self." Gojyo scowled at both of them. "Your call."

* * *

"I can't believe I'm letting you do this," Sanzo sulked. Two nights after their argument, Hakkai was (still reluctantly) taking Gojyo out with him on the road.

"Relax. We used to do this all the time before we left on our little journey West," Gojyo chuckled, slinging his arm around his shakujou. "You never once complained about me going out and almost getting myself killed back then."

"That was then. Now, I'd rather you be in one piece."

"Gee, thanks." Gojyo smirked. "I'll be fine. You've got the boys covered, this should only be a few hours, I'll take a nap in the morning, everything will work out fine."

"I don't know."

"Love you too." Gojyo chuckled. He kissed Sanzo on the cheek and joined Hakkai at the door, and the two left. Sanzo waited, leaning against the door frame until the two were buckled in the Jeep and driving away.

"You won't be the only one missing sleep tonight," Sanzo muttered to himself, and shut and locked the door.

Gojyo didn't remember the Jeep's seat being as hard as it was, until he remembered that he'd always sat on the bench seat in the rear of the car, or at least he had for three years. "Man, Hakuryu, I didn't know how much I'd missed riding in you," he chuckled and rubbed the console. Hakkai giggled to himself as he turned over the pages in his map.

"He misses all of us, too. He says it's too quiet with just me."

"Really, now?" Gojyo grinned. "Well, one'a these days, we're gonna have to get the boys to take a ride in here. They'll be plenty noise for you. You remember the boys, right?"

"He does," Hakkai replied in lieu of the Jeep. "My worry is how we're going to get all six of us in here."

"Hey, maybe you can transform into a minivan, right?" Gojyo laughed and leaned back in the chair. He could hear the Jeep chirruping to Hakkai, and Hakkai giggled again.

"He says that would make him feel frumpy."

"Pfft! You're a vain little dragon, ain'cha?" Gojyo chuckled, folded his hands behind his head, and sighed. "So, where we headed?"

"I've been tracking a marauder who's wanted for theft and fraud. Week's worth of groceries if we can haul him in."

"Jeez, I thought you'd saved a good one for me."

"Consider this a test run."

"Hmph," Gojyo scowled and sulked. "So, when are you going to tell me what's been going on with you? We ain't talked about serious stuff in like, forever."

"We never really do," Hakkai replied dismissively. Gojyo tilted his head to face him, fixing him with a bitter stare. "I may have bitten off more than I can chew a few times, so to speak. I have been injured several times, but never very seriously. Flesh wounds, no more." Hakkai pulled the Jeep to a stop and checked his map.

"I saw the ones on your arm. Anything more serious than that?"

"I got a gash on my stomach a few months ago."

"What, near your old scars?"

"Below them." Hakkai sighed and lowered the waistband of his pants, revealing a long, thin scar just above his pubic bone. Gojyo whistled.

"That looks awful, man."

"I suppose I became a bit too accustomed to having backup." Hakkai chuckled softly and put the Jeep into gear again.

"So, you did need me."

"You were needed elsewhere." Hakkai turned down another path onto a darkened street. "This should be the right area." He drove a few blocks forward, and finally stopped outside of what Gojyo promptly recognized as a house of ill repute, one which he had frequented before he'd met Hakkai (a fact he chose not to mention.) "And now, we wait." Hakkai turned the Jeep's headlights off.

"Wait? Wait for what?"

"A youkai, male, taller than myself, hair like it was stuck in a flushing commode." Gojyo snickered and put his hands behind his head.

"For serious?"

"Not kidding, even a little." Hakkai sighed, and the two were quiet.

Gojyo had often thought to himself that silence was awkward, especially between friends. He used to feel like the longer he sat with someone he knew without trading words, the more the silence gained form and scraped at him with sharp, painful fingernails. He could almost swear sometimes that after six hours in the Jeep after a particularly nasty encounter with not a one of them talking to each other, he would have raised red lines on the back of his neck that he could feel under his palm. Somehow, though, he'd gotten over that with Hakkai. They didn't need to trade words, they didn't need to force conversation. Instead, the two of them waited silently on the seats and began to play card games. Hakkai's eyes were ever over the edge of his hand, watching for shadows against the lamplight. Ten minutes passed. Twenty. Thirty. Forty. An hour. Two. After one-hundred and thirty-seven minutes, Hakkai stiffened.

"Look alive," he murmured. Gojyo looked up to spot a man with wild hair sticking nearly straight up, tall and muscular, spinning a gold pocket watch around one finger.

"That's him?"

"Matches the description." Hakkai giggled. "Well, shall we?" He slid out the door, landing on the ground with catlike delicacy, and quietly approached the door to the bar. Gojyo jumped out as well, carrying his shakujou under his arm. "Excuse me, aren't you Jirou Kinja-"

Jirou Kinja-whatever-the-end-of-his-name-was immediately took a swing at Hakkai, which Hakkai caught in his hands, but he shoved off Hakkai's grasp and whirled around. Hakkai sidestepped to put Jirou between him and the wall, and Gojyo put himself behind Jirou. "Boy, you're awful jumpy for a guy who ain't been doin' nothin' wrong," Gojyo teased, and pinned him to the wall with the shaft of his spade. He kicked at Gojyo's thigh, though Gojyo dodged before his foot came even close to his _other_ shaft. Hakkai pressed his fingers against the man's neck, and the man began to go limp, but not before finally landing a kick in Gojyo's stomach. Gojyo grunted and dropped his spade as the man dropped to the ground. Hakkai sighed contently as Gojyo caught his breath.

"Well, that went as well as could be expected. Are you okay?"

"Worst I've had to deal with in the past year is the boys kicking my arms while I tried to change 'em. This hurts a little more," Gojyo joked. "But nah, I'm good. Let's haul him in!"

It was close to dawn when Gojyo and Hakkai got back to the house. Sanzo was waiting on the futon, with Eiji fast asleep in his arms. When they opened the door, Sanzo stood up to meet them. Eiji mumbled blankly, but slept on, as Sanzo approached Gojyo. "Let me look at you," he demanded under his breath.

"Hello to you too," Hakkai said softly as he waved Hakuryu into the house. Hakuryu took the form of the dragon and quickly made himself comfortable on the arm of the futon like the oddest throw blanket imaginable, and Hakkai locked the door.

"Where are you hurt?" Sanzo demanded. Gojyo rolled his eyes and rolled up the bottom of his shirt.

"Bastard kicked me." Sanzo glared at the pale bruise on the left side of his stomach until Gojyo dropped his shirt.

"You're lucky its just that. Are you satisfied with yourself?"

"Well, yeah. We got groceries for the week. Combine that with the money Hakkai brought in two nights ago, and we're golden on supplies til November." Gojyo grinned.

"I could help. Let me help. You don't have to do this."

"I've told you once, and I'll tell you again. That's not my money to spend," Gojyo muttered, and ran his fingers back through his hair.

"I don't care."

"Look, this is what we have to do." Gojyo folded his arms sternly. "You aren't going to make a goddamn housewife out of me."

"Of course not," Sanzo snapped, and shoved Eiji towards Gojyo. "After all, one can't put lipstick on a kappa! You'll never change!" With that, he stormed from the house. Gojyo sighed and carried Eiji back to bed. Hakkai looked into the bedroom and pulled his toothbrush from his cheek.

"Please don't argue over this."

"It's been a long time since the two of us have had one of them 'I don't wanna talk to you right now' arguments," Gojyo replied with a shrug. "It might be about time."

"I'd rather you not have very many of those. You two have too much to lose." Hakkai sighed.

"Eh, whatever. G'night." Gojyo turned off the light and fell onto his bed, only throwing his jacket off in an afterthought. He stared at the ceiling for a while, folding his hands below his head. "Love you too, Kou."

* * *

Sanzo returned to the house, Goku at his side, the next morning, without another word to Gojyo about their previous night's disagreement. However, over the next two weeks, Gojyo went out with Hakkai four times, and each time, Gojyo returned with a new bruise for his efforts, and Sanzo would become enraged upon seeing it:

"You're completely careless! How can you excuse letting yourself get hurt like this?!"

" I can't stand this- you're an idiot beyond measure!"

"You moron! You have sons now- you can't keep doing this to yourself!"

"What do I have to do- tie you up?!"

"Yes please," Gojyo retorted to this last insult with a stupid grin. Sanzo groaned in disgust. Gojyo fixed the bandage around his arm again. "Man, I'm starting to see why Hakkai never told me about his exploits."

"I'm begging you," Sanzo whispered, in a tone Gojyo had not yet heard him use- angry, but anxious. "I don't want to see you hurt. I know I can't tame you, but I can't stand the idea of you out there going wild. What if you get hurt worse- or what if you get killed?"

"But I won't. Don't you trust me?"

"All the trust in the world won't change the fact that I don't want you out there."

"I love you too," Gojyo returned with a cheeky smile, and Sanzo hung his head.

"I did not say-"

"You don't have to." He wrapped his arms around Sanzo's shoulders. "I know it from the way you're acting. And so, I will just say that I love you too and drag my sorry ass to bed. You gonna come with tonight, or are you gonna storm out again?"

"Fine," Sanzo agreed somberly, and Gojyo laid his arm over Sanzo's shoulder as the two went off to bed. They undressed and crawled into bed, and lay together. As the night passed, Sanzo felt Gojyo turn onto his side of the bed, his head by his breast, his hand creeping up his shoulder. Neither realized that the other was not asleep.

* * *

"This bar is a known meeting place for a gang of about seven," Hakkai explained, pulling a few posters out of his knapsack to show Gojyo. "Fairly nasty business, really. I've been after them for a while, gathering information." Gojyo looked at the price tag on the leader's head and whistled.

"What'd they do?"

"They're highway robbers. They stop caravans, ransack them, and resell their wares on the black market. They've resold everything from truffles to silk, and they give any merchant who resists a great big smile from ear to ear." Hakkai traced his finger between his earlobes along his throat for emphasis. Gojyo chuckled and tied his hair back.

"Well, I'll keep my neck low, then."

"I have been holding off on dealing with them- they usually meet here, you see," Hakkai explained, and folded his map up. "But they are dangerous, and I do enjoy coming home."

"I ain't afraid of them." Gojyo took up his spade. "You ready, man?"

"As ready as I'll be." Hakkai's unflinching smile was as oleander-sweet as ever. The two vacated the Jeep, and Hakuryu immediately transformed and dodged into the alley, chirruping something that Hakkai understood as 'Like hell if I'm getting my tires slashed!' "We'll be back soon. Stay out of trouble, and don't go chasing mice." The two walked shoulder-to-shoulder past the flickering, yellow lamplights into the ajar door.

"You said seven, right?" Gojyo did not face Hakkai, instead perusing the room with critical eyes.

"I said 'about' seven," Hakkai replied, still facing straight forward and smiling cheerfully.

"Bro, this is not seven." Gojyo could count four men to his left, six men to his right, and no less than eight between them and the back wall.

"No, it's not," Hakkai agreed. They could feel glowering eyes slowly turning towards them, amber, snake-like slits narrowing in the dim, smoke-inhibited light. "Are you afraid?"

"Nope." Gojyo smirked, and spun his spade crescent-blade-up. "I just don't know how we're gonna get 'em all down to the prison." With that, he dove forward, and shouted, "Alright, assholes, down on the ground!"

Not a single one of the thugs obeyed, but Gojyo hadn't expected them to. He deftly dodged the litany of chairs and bottles suddenly thrown his direction, only feeling a few catch against his arms and whiz past his head, and pinned the nearest assailant to the ground with the crescent of the shakujou. Hakkai quickly formed a chi wall and pressed the six on the right side of the room against the wall, knocking four out from the impact. He began to tie them up with one hand while holding off the other two with the other. Gojyo, meanwhile, sent his chain whipping across the room to smack five men who'd rushed him and send them back, then used the staff to whack one who'd come up behind him in the gut. A chair whizzed past his head, but he ignored it and lassoed one of the thugs in, quickly restraining his hands and using the shaft of the blade to daze him. He drew the chain back in, using the blunt edge of the blade to halt a man who'd gotten close to him, then knocked him out with a hit to the head from the shovel-side of his spade. Hakkai had in the meantime tied the other two he'd been dealing with up, and held off the others attacking Gojyo while he got restraints onto the one he'd taken down. He jumped back, and Hakkai bowled the remaining four over.

"Cover me!" Hakkai shouted, taking more ties from his sash, and Gojyo stood over him, using the staff to fend off blades and axes. He ducked as a knife flew towards his head, but hissed as he felt searing pain in his thigh. He turned to see that one of the four Hakkai was dealing with had gotten loose long enough to plant a blade in his leg, but Hakkai had already stilled him with a blow to the head from a bottle. Gojyo let the pain anger him, and he sent the chain flying across the room and caught six of the thugs together in a bunch. He then dropped his shakujou and started to rush for the last two standing, but Hakkai shoved him to the wall, eyes open and serious. "Don't move, stay still!" Hakkai focused his chi on the last two, pinning them to the floor under his power. With the adrenaline sweating out, the pain was no longer angering Gojyo- it was just pain.

"Oh that is a bad hurt," he hissed, examining the blade.

"Don't pull it out," Hakkai instructed as he finished restraining the last thugs. "Honestly, you redheads always seem to try that first. You've put a bit of a kink in my plans."

"What's that?"

"I was just going to have us walk all these idiots across town." He smiled and took out a length of rope. "Now, we'll have to make them walk behind us in the Jeep, since I can't force you to walk like that."

"Oh, thanks." Gojyo rolled his eyes. "Man, this is gonna suck."

"Oh, you've had worse." Hakkai giggled and moved to tying the ankles on the next group of thugs. "I'll fix you up in a minute."

"No, I mean when Sanzo sees this." Gojyo sighed, and limped to the door as Hakkai yanked on the rope, tugging all the thugs to their feet. "Everyone wake up, we're all goin' for a walk!" Hakkai led the gang members out the door like cattle headed for the slaughterhouse, and Gojyo moaned as his leg continued to throb in pain. "He's going to take my goddamn head off..."

* * *

"You idiot, you could have lost your goddamn head!" Sanzo roared, ignoring that his shouting had woken up both children as Hakkai laid Gojyo down on the futon. He had managed to partially patch up Gojyo's leg while driving, but this did not fix the blood soaking his pant leg, nor the fact that Hakkai had assisted Gojyo into the house with blood still dripping off of him.

"Quiet down, you're gonna wake the whole damn neighborhood," Gojyo sighed. "Can you calm them down?"

"I'm not calm!" Sanzo barked, but Hakkai had gone to get both twins from the crib and brought them to Gojyo. Gojyo cradled one in each arm, sighing to himself.

"You guys are getting too heavy for this."

"How are you so calm about this?!" Sanzo snapped, as both crying infants squirmed like unruly octopi over Gojyo's shoulders.

"Shhh," he whispered to them, as Hakkai got down on his knees next to Gojyo to continue healing the wound in his leg.

"That's it, no more!" Sanzo threw his hands up. "You're not going out there anymore."

"It's just a flesh wound," Gojyo muttered, his calm tone seeming to soothe both children. Sanzo glared at him, eyelids twitching, clenched fists trembling. Then, to Gojyo's shock, Sanzo dropped to his knees in front of him.

"What do I have to do?" He breathed, then put his hands on the floor. "I can't stand the thought of you out there risking life and limb. I do not want you killed. I don't know how I can make this any clearer. Both of you have to stop this. You have something to live for."

"I concur," Hakkai replied, averting his eyes as Sanzo stayed on hand and knee. "Tonight has been my last trip. I will seek gainful employment first thing in the morning."

"Kou, you-" He stopped, then looked at the infants on his shoulders. "Okay. Fine. I'm with him. We'll find real work." Gojyo took a deep, tense breath, and gripped his leg. "Dude, that's starting to smart."

"Hold still, you big baby," Hakkai teased pleasantly, and continued to heal Gojyo's leg.

"Now will you sit up already? I hate seein' you like that." Gojyo held out a hand. Sanzo, cheeks red, swatted Gojyo's hand away and pushed himself to his feet.

"As soon as you're fixed, you're going to bed. You have work to do in the morning." Sanzo scooped Yohei out of Gojyo's grasp. Gojyo chuckled, and shifted Eiji to hug him to his chest.

"I have work to find in the morning."

* * *

With morning light, Hakkai and Gojyo left the house, leaving Sanzo with Goku to mind the children. Gojyo's leg was mostly healed, though he still had a slight limp. Sanzo waited at the door as he combed his hair back as neatly as he could- while it had grown significantly since he'd cut it, it was nowhere near as long as it had been. He still shivered every time he even tried to tie it behind his neck, and settled for tucking it back behind his ears.

"You'll be okay," Sanzo assured him in his usual, flat tone, though Gojyo could sense the sentiment behind it.

"Yeah, I'm sure." He grinned slyly back at Sanzo. "We'll be home for dinner. You know how to work the rice steamer, doncha?"

Sanzo stared silently back at Gojyo, unamused.

"Okay, okay, we'll be back to make dinner, how's that?" Gojyo laughed and patted Sanzo's shoulder.

"Don't patronize me." Sanzo removed his hand and folded his arms sternly. "I'll keep things under control here. Now, please bear in mind, I will hold nothing against you if you should choose not to take employ. You are well within your rights to be a father in the home. I will support you without complaint."

"I ain't the kinda guy who needs taking care of. Call it manly pride or bein' headstrong, but I'd rather scrounge and scrape by than let someone else do the hard stuff for me." Gojyo's smile softened. "So, as much as I appreciate the offer, I think I'll take falling on my face a few times."

"Very well, then." Sanzo lowered his eyes as Hakkai came into the hallway, dressed neatly, hair combed, monocle shined.

"Let's hope someone's actually seeking help right now. Winters are always rough for jobs, you know. No farm work, "

"I'm sure we'll find something." Gojyo stuffed his hands in his jacket pockets as they made for the door. Goku emerged from the bedroom, where he'd been taking his turn changing the boys.

"Good luck, guys!" He called as they departed, got in the Jeep, and drove off. He looked up at Sanzo. "Think they'll be alright?"

"I do hope so," Sanzo murmured, arms still tight to his chest. "We're in charge. Let's keep things steady."

* * *

Evening fell, and Goku bounded to the front window as he saw the Jeep's headlights streaming through the twilit darkness and shining through the front windows. "They're back! They're back!" He threw the door open as the Jeep's lights turned off, and spread his arms. "Welcome home!"

"Save it." Gojyo threw his jacket over Goku's face as he shuffled into the house and kicked his shoes off. Hakkai was a few steps behind him, and shut the door behind him as Goku threw Gojyo's coat back at him. Gojyo caught it and laid it over the back of his chair.

"You sound tired," Sanzo remarked, as Gojyo sank into one of the kitchen chairs and put his head on the table.

"Yeah." He sighed heavily, and looked over to the high chair, where Eiji was picking at some finely chopped apples. "How'd the day go?"

"Uneventful. Goku and the boys have been playing most of the day. I think he called it canastas."

"Gymnastics!" Goku corrected proudly.

"Hmph." Sanzo narrowed his eyes. "Whatever. Point is, they had fun and they were tired. This one only just woke up." He pushed the apples on Eiji's tray closer to him.

"Huh. I don't think I like Yohei sleeping this late, he'll be up all night." Gojyo groaned as he forced himself to his feet.

"Tell me about your d-" Sanzo realized Gojyo was ignoring him as he slunk to the back hallway to check on Yohei. Hakkai began to go through the icebox, and Sanzo directed the question at him. "What happened?"

"Well, I myself had the issue that I have something of a bad reputation places with a large youkai workforce, since I've arrested quite a few sons, brothers, fathers, sisters, daughters, cousins, et cetera, so none of them would give me a second glance once they realized who I was. Human employers were somewhat more accepting, except for those that noticed my limiter and realized who- or what- I was, which was all but one, a grocery store seeking a cashier and stock runner." Hakkai sighed, his voice distant. "I'll accept it if there's nothing better in the next few days."

"And Gojyo?"

"Ah. It seems that most people have become educated on the taboo markers since the end of the Minus Wave. While some are willing to overlook his heritage, none can overlook his lack of skills and his, shall we say, rough edges."

"What did he do?" Sanzo asked, scowling, as Hakkai retrieved the cutting board.

"I think he may have managed to get through one conversation with a prospective employer without saying 'damn' or worse. That one didn't like his long hair." Hakkai began to chop some strips of chicken into smaller pieces. Goku pouted, chewing his thumb, and Sanzo sighed. "We'll go to the farms tomorrow. Surely, one of them will accept him."

"And if they don't, well, I'll keep trying," Gojyo interjected from the hallway, as he entered with Yohei in his arms. "Somethin'll give, somehow." He set Yohei in his chair and took a small handful of apple pieces from Eiji and set them on his tray. "I'll start the rice." Sanzo nodded, and continued to quietly monitor the boys as they ate their appetizer, but he had known Gojyo long enough to know the despair clouding the rings around his eyes. "I'm more worried about the notices I saw posted in town," Gojyo continued, while measuring out some rice into a cup that was labeled 'Make this much rice for everyone' in three places.

"What's that?"

"Youkai registration will be starting up again next week." Sanzo tented his fingers over his mouth as Gojyo poured the rice into the steamer, and poured some water in. "So, we'll all have to go down again, you'll probably be gone again-"

"That will not happen again. If I am needed here, then that is where I will be." Sanzo put his fist down on the table.

"It may be easier to bring them to you once you're busy again," Hakkai remarked.

"Ooh, and I can watch them!" Goku added chipperly.

"That will not be necessary!" Sanzo barked, and Gojyo's weariness broke for a laugh.

"We'll figure it out as we go. We always do." He finally grinned at Sanzo. Sanzo gazed evenly back, silently hoping he was right.

* * *

The days continued much like that- Hakkai and Gojyo would go hunting for jobs and come home unsuccessful, and though Hakkai remained optimistic, Gojyo would always put his head down on the table and stare, exhausted, between his sons as they babbled in broken sentences and ate their dinner. Sanzo could clearly see the search wearing down on him- perseverance could only go so far, after all, and this kind of effort was a first for Gojyo. Sanzo could also feel the looming presence of the youkai registration hanging over him, numbering the days until he was sure he would be recruited into ushering the entire city's youkai and hanyou population through the temple.

"I wish you would move closer," Sanzo complained briefly after six days of the search, after the boys had been put to sleep, but this suggestion was met with a small scowl.

"I wish we could," Gojyo retorted, and cracked open a bottle of sake on the edge of the table. "This place is probably low-brow for you."

"I do not mind your neighborhood. I dislike the distance." Sanzo folded his arms in thought. "If you were closer, it would be easier for me to travel to see you, even when I'm occupied late into the night."

"I repeat- I wish we could move. I mean, this house ain't gonna be big enough forever. We're pretty crowded in as it it." Gojyo looked over at the futon, sunken in the middle, pushed against the wall only a few meters from the front door. "I mean, we'd like some privacy without putting the boys in the other room. Hakkai probably wants somewhere a little more sophisticated to sleep- I mean, he's never complained, but still- and the boys might not wanna sleep in the same bed forever." He sighed, and took a gulp of sake. "But it's money again. We ain't finding what we need to get by, and the money we have is going down the drain."

"I know." Sanzo knew better by now than to try and offer money again- he was certain it would only frustrate Gojyo more.

"We're trying. We're not giving up. Something's going to come through, I know it." Gojyo sighed, and took another long swig from the bottle, then held it out. "Want some?"

Sanzo slunk back into town with the reek of sake-laden sweat haunting his clothes and hair the next morning, leaving Goku to watch the children so he could get a clean robe. He stopped by a small patch of wildflowers, and plucked one. He gave it a quick sniff, then tucked it behind his ear. 'It at least covers up what I can smell,' he reasoned to himself. This, however, gave him some inspiration.

After Gojyo and Hakkai arrived home in the evening, and Gojyo collapsed at the table and yanked Yohei from the chair to hug him, Sanzo set a paper-wrapped bouquet of white chrysanthemums on the table in front of him.

"The hell is this?" Gojyo sat up, frowning.

"Flowers. I thought they might cheer you up." Sanzo backed away timidly, looking away to hide his expression.

"Huh." Gojyo looked completely stunned. "Uh, thanks." He put Yohei back down, picked the flowers up, and looked them over. "They're nice." He looked at Sanzo around the blooms. "Hey- wait- I thought Buddhists were against killing living things and stuff."

"I did not kill them myself." Sanzo shrugged.

"Oh. Whatever floats your boat." Gojyo set the flowers back down and retrieved an empty drinking glass and a pair of scissors. He sat down at the table, unwrapped the flowers, and began trimming the stems. "So, what were the boys up to today?"

"This and that. Built block towers, read some story books, played with wooden horses. Eiji said 'horse' today. I was impressed." Sanzo watched as Gojyo split the stems with the edge of the scissors. "And you?"

"Hakkai accepted a job. Says that with the way we go through money, we can't wait much longer. He keeps insisting he doesn't want to dig into our nest egg, so he's hoping to start bringing in a paycheck again soon." He turned the glass, adjusting the chrysanthemums and trimming the stems to balance the height. "No luck for me yet."

"Have you tried a florist?" Sanzo asked bluntly. Gojyo looked up from the flowers, as Sanzo examined the bouquet again.

"I didn't see any hiring. Why do you ask? You know someone needing a stock guy?" Gojyo continued touching up the stems.

"No. Where did you learn to do that?"

"What, you mean putting flowers in a vase? I dunno." Gojyo thought for a moment. "I mean, I know I saw my mom doin' it a couple times when I was really little. But that was forever ago." Hakkai turned around curiously.

"My, you do seem to have a knack for it."

"Yeah, you're pretty good!" Goku agreed.

"Hey, you guys are lookin' at me like I grew a third arm!" Gojyo laughed anxiously, and pushed the flowers away.

"Pitty!" Eiji insisted from his end of the table, reaching for the flowers.

"Ah, do you like them too?" Hakkai giggled and picked up the vase. "Yes, you have some talent at it. I have an idea." He sat down at the table across from Gojyo. "Why don't you try and develop some expertise at it?"

"Whatcha mean?"

"I mean, since jobs are scarce through winter, and I should be able to keep us going for some time, you get some books and study floral design here at home. Then, you could find a job as a florist- or, even better, we can open up our own florist shop in town." Hakkai smiled sweetly. "After all, I've been busting my hump and saving up for years so we could get a bigger home."

"Wait, what?" Gojyo's jaw fell.

"We simply purchase a home with a storefront on the ground floor. Plus, if we own our own business and it's run out of our home, you can keep the boys with you all the time, at least until they're old enough to go to school."

"Kai, bro, you're a genius!" Gojyo jumped to his feet and threw his arms around Hakkai. Sanzo hid his face in his palm, and Goku stifled a giggle. "How long have you been planning this?"

"Well, I've been planning to move us out of this little place since we arrived home, but you inspired the rest." Hakkai chuckled and removed Gojyo from him. "So, does that sound agreeable?"

"Hell yeah!" Gojyo was bouncing like a giddy rabbit. "This is gonna be awesome!" Sanzo sat back, content with himself.

"Sounds like we have a solution," he remarked to himself. Goku came up along his shoulder, and extended his palm. Sanzo obliged with an offhanded high-five.

"Let's celebrate with dinner!" Goku suggested, and Sanzo answered with a slap of the harisen.

* * *

Sanzo was not at all troubled by the word that the registration would begin in two days when he arrived back at the temple that evening, though certainly mildly irritated. "I think you're going to be in charge, since Lord Akio is up in the north end of the province," explained the young monk who'd been 'volunteered' to deliver the message. "H-he sent along instructions." The junior monk handed him a sizable scroll, which Sanzo accepted with gritted teeth.

"That will do. Thank you." Sanzo opened the scroll and began to read. The junior monk looked over his shoulder and back to Sanzo a few times, before scampering away. Sanzo could only just hear him saying something to some of the others:

"He didn't bite my head off! I heard he had a temper!"

Sanzo quietly scoffed, and began to read over the scroll as he wandered back to his quarters. Goku was a few steps behind him, having stopped in the kitchen to pester the cook and swipe a snack, and looked over his shoulder.

"Guess you won't be seeing much of the kids, huh?" He mumbled with mild dejection.

"I'll make do. Perhaps since this will be the second time around, we'll be able to get things done quicker." Sanzo continued to read, skimming through some of Akio's more florid language. "I'm sure we'll all be just fine."

Registration began again as planned after Sanzo utilized all the manpower at his command to make arrangements for photographers and forms, with the monks sitting as clerks (until Sanzo could find more appropriate substitutes, he insisted). Gojyo and Hakkai showed up with the twins in tow early in the morning. Sanzo had managed to fill out their paperwork in advance, allowing them to just sign and go to take their photographs. This time, Gojyo held the two children on his lap and got both to smile by tickling their sides. Sanzo, however, insisted there had been an error and convinced the photographer to take a fourth photograph, just in case. (He also made a mental note to be sure the extra photograph was rescued from the wastebasket for his personal collection.) On their way home, however, Gojyo stopped by the library and selected several books on floral design and techniques, as well as a new stack of storybooks and one on how to start a new business. Though Sanzo was fully cognizant that he would probably see Gojyo only scarcely for the next month at least, he was certain they would be alright.

He was right, of course- Sanzo was no fool- and the family settled into their new routine. Hakkai was gone again, though only from dawn until mid-afternoon this time, and only five days out of the week. Gojyo was content to spend the day at home again, as long as he could keep reading and practicing on some inexpensive paper flowers. He didn't even mind being alone with the boys, as half the time, they could amuse themselves. Gojyo enjoyed listening to their unusual conversations. He'd also noticed that their speech was becoming ever more sophisticated.

"Ei!" Gojyo heard Yohei start once, and looked to see Yohei stomping his feet as Eiji picked up several of their wooden animals and pocketed them in his shirt. "Ei, gimme!"

"Uh-uh! Mine!" Eiji whined back.

"Hey, you guys," Gojyo chuckled, and put down his scissors to turn and watch them. "You guys shouldn't- Wait." He paused as Yohei grabbed onto some of the toys and yanked them away from Eiji.

"Ei, no!" Yohei

"Stobbit, Yo!"

"HEY!" Gojyo shouted as he got up, and both boys froze in place as he stood over them, smirking down at them. "Eiji, what's his name?" He pointed at Yohei. Eiji squinted at Gojyo. "Who's that?"

"Yo." Eiji pointed at Yohei.

"Good. Yohei, who's that?" He pointed at Eiji.

"Ei."

"Good. Now, who's toys are those?"

"Mine!"

"Mine!"

"Wrong." Gojyo swiped all the toys from Eiji in one scoop. "Daddy paid for 'em, they're his."

"Dada, no!" Both boys jumped against Gojyo to try and get them back.

"Daddy says you get these an' these-" he handed a few to Yohei. "And you get these an' these." He handed a few to Eiji. "Now, Yo and Ei, you can quit bein' jerks to each other." The boys stuck their tongues out at one another, and went to separate sides of the room to play by themselves. "And Daddy wins again," Gojyo declared and returned to his seat with a wily grin. "Boys know their names, Dad's in charge, and all is right with the world."

Sanzo would do his best to visit the house every night after the registration lines had cleared out, usually making it there close to midnight. He only missed two or three nights, but he always made sure to stop in, wake the boys just enough so they would open their eyes and he could say hello. He would then take a look at the paper bouquets Gojyo had made, politely compliment them, and then was on his way. It wasn't much, but it was enough. After two weeks of registration, Gojyo was pleasantly surprised to find Sanzo at the house early in the morning, negotiating the rice steamer with rage lining his eyes. "Good morning, sunshine," he chirped, and looked into the steamer. "You're doin' it right, but what're you doing here?"

"I thought I would have breakfast here. As long as I leave by eight, I should be able to make it back to town before people start lining up." He turned the steamer on. "I'll wake the boys if you'd like to take a shower."

"I think I can handle that." Gojyo grinned and went back towards the bathroom, wishing he could skip without feeling like a twelve year old girl.

"I've found that I can effectively delegate most of the work," Sanzo explained after Gojyo finished showering and the pair had started to feed the boys their breakfast, facing opposite sides of the table and talking over their shoulders. "Goku sets up the queue markers, we've gotten some part-time workers to help facilitate the lines and run the desks, I only intervene if there are troubles."

"Huh. Weird, considering you had so much to do last year."

"It is the second year. People are more used to it. Perhaps Lord Akio did not know how to organize things properly." Sanzo waved a spoonful of soggy rice over Eiji's head. Eiji opened his mouth wide, and Sanzo tucked it in. "We all get used to things over time. I didn't expect to find it easy to raise these two."

"Yeah, parenting isn't so hard once you get into it." Gojyo bobbed the spoon to the left and right of Yohei's mouth, and Yohei leaned forward, following it from side to side, until Gojyo finally put the spoon on his tongue. "It's easier with the both of us, though."

"Agreed."

November came on chilly, but the house remained busy. Hakkai had been researching the business side of opening a store in his spare time, and was already making a business plan.

"I know we can grow our own, so to speak, but we don't have the capability to grow everything we need," Hakkai said as he laid out a list for Gojyo. "I've researched many of the suppliers within a four hour drive from here, and it seems that from March through November, we should be able to acquire eighty-seven different kinds and colors of flowers."

"Eighty-seven?" Gojyo whistled and looked over the list. "At a time?"

"Well, certain things only grow at certain times. Chrysanthemums, for example, grow easily here most of the season, but roses grow best in the summer. And really, there are only twelve major species, just lots and lots of colors. I think there are seven variations on roses, twelve on daisies, so on and so forth."

"Still, that's a nice selection! Hey, we should go with that- we can call the store Eighty-Seven Flowers!" Gojyo beamed, and Hakkai thought on this, chin in his palm.

"Hm, perhaps a round number would be better. Something like, Eighty-Five Flowers." He smiled. "Why, I think I'll write that one down."

"So, what do we do from December to February?" Gojyo asked.

"The off-season may be difficult. We may need to scrimp and save to make it through the months with few flowers. But really, we'll worry about that when we come to it." Hakkai continued to make notes on his schematic sheets.

"Guess you're right. We could always just find part-time work or something for a few months." Gojyo pushed the papers back to Hakkai. "Still, you really think we can do this?"

"I think we can do anything we put our minds to, Gojyo," Hakkai replied, his smile affectionate. "You and I have already gone through much, even this will only be a little more."

"Thought so. Just needed to hear it from you." Gojyo smirked, and picked up another paper rose to start trimming it to size, as he'd done what had to be the thousandth time.

It was December, a few days after registration ended, that Hakkai beckoned Gojyo into the city with him and the boys in tow. "Our first car ride together, huh?" Gojyo chuckled as he strapped the boys into the back seat, using the detached stroller seat to keep them secure.

"The second. They took a ride in the back seat the night they were born," Hakkai reminded him.

"Oh yeah, guess so. I don't remember much of what happened after Kou dragged me and Eiji out of the water," Gojyo admitted sheepishly. Hakkai giggled into his cupped palm. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing." Hakkai clambered into the front seat, and Gojyo slid in on his side of the bench.

Hakkai drove the pair to a street in the middle of town, located about two blocks from the temple gates. "I've been eyeing this for some time now," said Hakkai, as Gojyo got out of the car. It was a tall, Western-style red brick townhouse alongside several other townhouses of slate and stucco, some of which had storefronts on the ground level and some that did not. "I particularly like the window." He tapped the large, bay window that took up much of the ground level facade. "Perfect for displays. I have a vision in my mind of our shop name painted on this window."

"That does sound nice. How about the upstairs?" Gojyo lifted the twins out of the backseat, one under each arm.

"Three bedrooms, if you count the finished attic. Two bathrooms, one near the den and one attached to the master bedroom. Decently sized kitchen, though it's not huge. There's a combination den and dining room. Nothing spectacular, but it'll be enough. There's a basement room, below the shop, with a window to the backyard." Hakkai's smile took a sly tilt. "I thought that I could sleep down there and give you some privacy."

"Aw, you know I don't mind living with you!" Gojyo laughed, and set the boys down. "I'm not splitting them up yet anyway. Figure I'll put 'em in whichever room's closer to the master, 'least til they're four or so."

"Nevertheless, I think we'll all be happy with a bit more room to spread out. Now, as to location." Hakkai pointed west. "The temple is two blocks that way, and the marketplace is one block south of that." He gestured east. "There's a school for young children one block down the road."

"Sounds awesome. Now, my question is, how much is this gonna run us?"

"That is the question, isn't it?" Hakkai laced his fingers. "I'm negotiating the price down, but as it stands, this will cost us every last yuan, jiao, and fen in our savings and then some for the down payment alone. However, I expected it to. I should be able to support us through moving in and fixing everything up, not to mention setting the store up, but I'll have to keep working."

"You sure we can't get away running one last job?" Gojyo smirked and cocked his eyebrow.

"Knowing your luck, you won't be running away from it next time," Hakkai teased. "I don't think we'll have to. We can manage." He held a hand out to Gojyo. "After all, what are uncles for?"

"Yeah, you got it. It'll be good to work with you the right way, bro." Gojyo extended his fist for a bump. "We allowed to look inside?"

"Most certainly. Shall we?" Hakkai led the little party forth, and Gojyo grinned as they stepped inside. It was his first look at his future- a real, workable future- and he was only too happy to be moving forward.

* * *

**End Notes:** Alright! We covered a lot of ground today. Next time, toddlers and thistles! (Okay, maybe not thistles, but what do you want, there aren't a lot of flowers that start with T and damned if I'm giving up the opportunity to alliterate.) So, let me know what you thought!

Comments, questions, and suggestions, leave a review!


	9. Life in Forward Motion

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author Notes:** I'm still getting used to the every-other-week updates. I feel like I'm getting nothing done, even if I am cranking out 7,000 words every two weeks. Aargh. Not sure what to do with this feeling except work faster.

On the bright side, we have a cover image! Aw yeah. Totally did that myself. All me, baby! Even signed my name. (You have no idea how proud I am of this.) I know I'm not the best artist in the world, but I have nowhere else to put these ideas except to give them to you guys. I was planning to have two cover images for each Act of the story, so this would be the first cover for Act 1. Now, sadly, the art has been somewhat, er, shrunken to fit in the allotted space, and my pride is freaking wounded now. To view the full-size image, append the following to a tiny url (remove the space and add a dot com to it.)

** (slash)k8xm8dp**

Review responses:

RodiSquall: I wish I had more places to put saucy Hakuryuu! I kinda love the little attitude I've given him. I've never seen Weiss Kreuz, though I know flowers and assassins were involved and the four main characters were having some sort of polymonogamous orgy (based on all the fanfiction I've read). This may not be quite like that, but I hope it's at least fun!

Dragon77: Well, little boys fighting is always cute. Just wait til they're older and can do some damage if they feel like it. Then it won't matter if Daddy always wins, he's still got to pay for repairs.

**Disclaimer:** Nothing's mine, except the boys and my artwork and the original scenario.

* * *

**8: Life in Forward Motion**

"So what's going on this wall?" Sanzo asked from the corner of the new nursery. Gojyo grunted as he hauled the boys' crib through the door into the room on his back.

"What?"

"There were bees, in the other room." Sanzo pointed at the large, blank side wall. "Will you paint something this time?"

"Maybe." Gojyo dumped the crib pieces onto the floor, then knelt down to start rearranging the pieces. "We're trying to sell the old place now, so we already had to paint over the bees. Kinda sucks- I got used to the stripey buggers watchin' me sleep."

"Ah." Sanzo nodded. "Were you ever going to set up that window box you said you were getting them?"

"Yeah, prob'ly." Gojyo got the parts sorted and started shoving the pegs back into place. "I guess it just kept slipping my mind."

"It's understandable." Sanzo got down on the floor and started helping pick up the pieces and holding them in place as Gojyo pushed them back together. "But now that they're older, more independent, you can make time."

"Sure, yeah. Plus, nice free advertisement. 'Look at these pretty flowers! We got more downstairs.'" Gojyo smirked as they continued reconstructing the crib piece by piece.

Hakkai had purchased the three-story townhouse in the first week in December. Now, as they closed in on January and youkai registration had closed for the year, Sanzo and Goku were helping Hakkai and Gojyo move in, including their old furniture and some new. Hakkai's futon had made it, but he was no longer sleeping on it- he'd already gotten himself a bed for his downstairs room, along with some other necessities, but it was the one room he had refused any assistance in setting up. Gojyo, meanwhile, had already gotten a bigger toy box and storage shelves for all of the boys' things. The boys' milk crates had been replaced with dressers with drawers, and the den now had a coffee table with rounded corners and side tables. Hakkai had also found the money (in Sanzo's pockets, perchance, but neither would ever mention it to Gojyo) for a large new icebox and, best of all, a bedroom set for Gojyo that included a large four-post bed, dressers and side tables, all to help fill out his big new master bedroom.

"An' the best part is that I can still hear the boys from in here!" Gojyo had chirped eagerly when he'd showed Sanzo the room, just a few meters away from the boys' nursery.

"How is that?" Sanzo had asked dubiously.

"Like so!" Gojyo grinned and revealed a small hole in the wall, covered by a rotating panel on a peg. "It'll be nice to have this room just for me- or, just for us, if you know what I mean." He winked, and Sanzo scoffed under his breath:

"As long as we cover the hole."

The little house certainly had its eccentricities- the store level had been entirely stripped, leaving only light, moss-green tile and wood paneling, and lots of thin, long back rooms that Hakkai was already redesigning for storage, and the stairs were steep and narrow, but the house itself was in need of very little repair. A fresh coat of paint had brightened most rooms- deep maroon in Gojyo's bedroom, pale beige in the kitchen, bright white in the den, and a robin's-egg blue for the nursery- and a few area rugs over the pristine wood floors (and inexpensive tatami mats for the twins, of course) had given the house a warm, personal feel. All that was left at the turn of the solar year was to bring all the furniture in and to actually get into the house.

"Hey, guys!" Goku called as he barged into the nursery. Sanzo dropped his end of the crib in surprise, then glared at Goku. "Hakkai's here with the boys!"

"Oh, sweet!" Gojyo jumped up. "Let's go get 'em!"

Sanzo and Gojyo met Hakkai at the door, as he got both boys out of the car. "This is where we're going to live now, see?" Hakkai pointed up at the house. Yohei looked up to the roof and nearly fell backwards- Hakkai quickly caught him and tipped him back upright- but Eiji ran up to Gojyo.

"Dada, whassis?" He pointed at the gold lettering on the window.

"Ahh, that says '85 Flowers.' That's the name of Daddy and Uncle's new shop." Gojyo grinned. "We're gonna sell pretty flowers. Sounds fun, right? You wanna help Daddy?"

"Uh huh!" Eiji beamed up at Gojyo, and Yohei nodded hard.

"Great! Awesome!" Gojyo laughed, and stepped back. "Come on, guys, let's take a peek inside!" He led the way in, holding the door open as Hakkai ushered them into the door. The shop was still nearly empty, except for a walk-in cooler for keeping the flowers fresh. It was the first- and so far, only- item Hakkai had gotten thus far, still waiting on the sale of their old home in order to outfit the rest. However, as this was the entrance of the home, there was also a rug for shoes and a rack of pegs for coats. "Remember, good manners means no shoes," Gojyo explained, and removed his shoes to demonstrate. "And jackets up here-" he went to remove his coat, before realizing he'd forgotten to put his on in his excitement to let the boys in. He quickly crouched down to help Yohei remove his, and hung it up. "Hey, Hakkai, let's get a low one, so they can reach."

"Good idea." Hakkai smiled in agreement. "Now, the hard part." Gojyo looked at the stairs, and wrinkled his nose.

"Better start now."

"That's right!" Goku giggled as he realized the source of Gojyo's anticipation. "They've never used stairs before!"

"Stehs?" Eiji looked around the corner, where Sanzo now stood.

"Are you sure they're ready?" Sanzo asked, looking between the twins and the steps.

"They have to learn sometime," Hakkai giggled through his nose, then started up the stairs, taking them one at a time. "Follow Uncle, boys." He took a few gradual steps, then Gojyo sighed.

"Right. Do it like this!" He stepped over the twins and started his way up the stairs as well, lifting his legs high to demonstrate. Yohei and Eiji tried to lift their legs, but Yohei lost his balance again, and Eiji promptly gave up and started whining.

"Dada! Unca!" He whimpered and reached for the two higher on the steps, and Goku chuckled.

"Their legs are too short for that, see?" Goku measured the boys' calves between his hands, and compared it to the steps. "Nope, they can't do it. Not yet." He got down on his hands and knees. "Follow big cousin!" Hakkai and Gojyo dodged out of the way as he raced up the stairs in a rapid crawl.

"Ohh!" Yohei gasped in revelation, and started using his hands and knees to climb the stairs like they were a mountain. Gojyo and Hakkai made their way to the top to greet them as well. Sanzo put his face in his palm.

"This... is not what I expected."

"Well, as long as it works," Hakkai conceded, as Eiji started to follow Yohei in a crawl. Goku met the twins at the top and pulled them to their feet.

"Nice job, guys! We can race once you get faster." Goku beamed, and the boys giggled.

"Cuz fas'!" Eiji exhorted to Goku and Yohei.

"Uh-huh!" Yohei concurred.

"You got plenty of time to get good at stairs," Gojyo chuckled, then waved the boys in. "Let's check out the rest of our new place!"

The boys spent the rest of the afternoon removing everything from their toy box, even as Sanzo kept trying to put it away so Hakkai and Gojyo could load in more furniture from the Jeep without stepping on blocks and horses and dogs. That night, all six of them gathered around their new dining room table for dinner, and between Goku and Sanzo squabbling in their normal way and the boys' chatter with Gojyo, the little brick townhouse really did feel like home.

* * *

Though the flower shop couldn't really open until spring, the family had already committed themselves to clearing out the old cottage and moving into the new house, and so even though everything wasn't complete, the boys had come to stay. Gojyo even enjoyed the sound of thumping footsteps clambering up and down the stairs from the store floor. He was, however, at least trying to be cautious with the potential for wet paint and stair mishaps.

"All I'm askin' is that you never take your eyes off them," Gojyo explained to Sanzo, wearing a big grin. Sanzo did not seem nearly as amused.

"Never? What, must I take them into the washroom with me?"

"Nah, you get Goku to watch 'em for a second!"

"I'm not sure how reliable that will be." Sanzo thumbed over his shoulder, to where Goku was snoozing on the futon with the boys tugging on his ears and fingers curiously.

"Oh, he's gone again?" Gojyo folded his arms. "He hasn't done that for a while, has he?" Sanzo shook his head. "Crap. Well, do your best."

"Why don't you put up some barriers?" Sanzo suggested.

"What? Those are a pain in the ass. Gotta move 'em out of the way every time I wanna go up or down." Gojyo moaned, and Sanzo sighed heavily and turned an even, hard stare at him. Gojyo chuckled nervously. "Fine, fine, baby gates it is."

Even more than getting accustomed to the new house was getting used to the neighborhood. "People out here ain't nothin' like the people out in the suburbs," Gojyo observed one night as he and Sanzo took in a cigarette on the rooftop.

"How do you mean?" Sanzo asked.

"I mean, since we put our store name on the door, folks have been dropping off letters. You know, saying stuff like, 'Welcome to the city,' people wanting us to come over for drinks. People out towards the farms, they were never like that."

"It's just part of the artifice of normalcy. You'll get used to it. They must know who you are, so they want to associate with you. We're still_ heroes_, after all." Sanzo sounded disgusted, and he quickly finished his cigarette and started another.

"Kinda sucks," Gojyo muttered. "I mean, me bein' a hero didn't help with me findin' a job somewhere else."

"It's called hypocrisy. You should be familiar with it by now."

"Guess I shouldn't be surprised by much anymore. After all, we ain't naive kids- least I don't like to think so." Gojyo blew a smoke ring. "Though we talk about hypocrites, when I'm still a hypocrite myself. I still gotta tell everyone I meet that the boys aren't really mine, and feed them the same lie, but if anyone told me to my face that they're not my kids, I'd probably explode."

"It's unfortunate, but it'd be even worse if you had to explain to everyone that you produced them from your own body," Sanzo pointed out sternly. "I don't know how well that would go over."

"Yeah," Gojyo sighed, and snuffed his cigarette out on the railing.

Gojyo had thought talking it out with Sanzo would make him feel better, but it didn't help. He still felt this unpleasant squirming in his gut every time he had to explain his lie:

Out at the market, he had to herd the twins around from stall to stall as he fulfilled Hakkai's list, yanking carrots and turnips from their curious little hands, and anxiously laughing at the raised eyebrows of the store clerks. "They're, uh, cute," one man remarked, as Yohei grabbed a handful of ice from his tray of meats. Gojyo quickly unfolded his little hand to make him drop it, and he began to cry and reach for the ice again. "So, uh, who's are they?"

"They're mine," Gojyo answered as he tried to quiet Yohei against his leg and Eiji started to try and get at the ice himself. "I mean, Lord Sanzo found 'em, but since he didn't want to take care of them all by himself, me and my bro have been raising them with him."

"Huh." The clerk looked bemused. "So, they don't have a mama? That's no way to raise a boy."

"Well, that's the way these boys are bein' raised," Gojyo replied sharply, and put the meat he was looking at down and stalked away, dragging two crying toddlers at his side. He was barely able to look forward, his stomach turning over, silently thanking his lucky stars that neither boy could understand what he'd said.

Everyone had to ask, it seemed- from the children selling eggs on the corner to the cashier at the secondhand clothing store- everyone he met wanted to know where the boys' mother was, or where Gojyo had found them. Worst of all, however, was one night coming home from an after-dinner milk run with Yohei in tow in a sling on his back, when Gojyo realized he was being followed between streetlights. He realized a police officer was four meters behind him, walking at his pace, and turned around. "Can I help you?" Gojyo muttered, scooping Yohei closer to his chest.

"I should ask you the same," the police officer replied coolly. "Let me see some identification." Gojyo groaned, and set both Yohei and the jug of milk down, then dug through his pockets. He found the ID slip he'd gotten from the youkai registration in his wallet, and held it out. The officer held it to the lamp. "Oh, so you're..." He looked between Gojyo and the identification slip. "Right. So, who's the kid?"

"This is Sha Yohei." Gojyo put his hand on the boy's head to keep him from wandering.

"So you say." Gojyo frowned as the officer examined them both, then addressed him in a patronizing, diplomatic tone: "Look, Mr. Sha, I know who you are and what you did, but that baby belongs to someone."

"You're damn right. He belongs to me. It should be on the fucking paper!" Gojyo swiped the paper back and unfolded it. "See- right here. Dependents. He's my ward. My goddamn kid." He shoved the slip back into the police officer's face.

"O-oh." The police officer squinted at it as he gingerly took it from Gojyo's hand again. "So, uh-"

"We found them, okay? October before last. Someone abandoned him and his brother, and now they're mine." He picked Yohei off the ground again. "Now you give me my fucking dog tags and I'll be on my fucking way!" The officer held out Gojyo's identification, and Gojyo shoved it in his back pocket and started to storm off.

"Wait, Mr. Sha!"

"What the fuck you want now?!" Gojyo snarled as he whipped back around. The officer held up his jug of milk. Gojyo growled under his breath, swiped the milk from the police officer, and rushed home, keeping Yohei as close as he could.

"That ass actually thought you stole him," Sanzo reiterated after Gojyo furiously recounted the story. He was still hugging Yohei to his chest as he tried to calm himself down by rocking himself in the kitchen chair, even as Yohei squirmed to get loose.

"He thought I'd steal my own goddamn kid! Is that what everyone thinks of me? These guys are my goddamn life, I would never- ever-"

"Calm down," Sanzo urged him. Hakkai leaned over and claimed Yohei from Gojyo, and promptly set him loose.

"It doesn't matter what they say," Hakkai said, and patted Gojyo on the shoulder. "You don't have to explain yourself to them, you shouldn't feel the need. Just tell them it's none of their damned business."

"I don't even know why you feel the need," Sanzo added under his breath.

"I can't stand people lookin' at me or the boys like I'm some kinda freak. It makes my skin crawl." Gojyo shivered, eyes darting between the boys playing in the other room and the floor.

"Tolerate it. People will get used to it soon enough," Sanzo murmured, and pulled his hand from Gojyo's shoulder. Gojyo sighed to himself, and got to his feet.

"Guess we don't have much choice."

The next morning, Gojyo went out to post up obnoxious, orange advertising fliers with Eiji strapped to his back in the sling. After about an hour at it, he was tired of staring at the words "Two weeks to opening! Come visit 85 Flowers!" and his back and feet were already sore. "I'm already such an old man," he sighed to himself, and glanced over his shoulder at Eiji. "You stealin' my youthful energy, you little brat?" Eiji yawned in response. "Heh- guess not."

"Excuse me, mister?" Gojyo heard a young voice from behind him, and saw a small youkai girl wearing a bright pink dress and carrying a rag doll staring up at him. "What's his name?" She pointed at Eiji.

"This is Eiji, my son," Gojyo replied wearily, and braced for the next question. However, the little girl giggled.

"Do you live near here? Mama says Tai needs friends his age!" She pointed at her mother, who was waiting halfway down the block, carrying a small child against her shoulder. Gojyo chuckled.

"Here. You give your mama this." He crouched down and handed her a flier. "We live at that place. He can have two friends, since Eiji has a brother too."

"Okay! I'll make sure she and Tai come and visit!" The girl skipped off to pass the flier to her mother, and Gojyo could hear bits and pieces of the girl telling her mother what he'd said. He laughed to himself and continued on his way, hoisting Eiji up as he moved forward.

"Check it out, buddy. Betcha you can girlfriend that. Older women, right?" He laughed softly as the little girl clung onto her mother's skirt as they continued on their way. "Living in the city ain't so bad," he chuckled to the toddler, who just leaned his head on Gojyo's shoulder and yawned again, clearly disinterested in the potential girl-next-door.

* * *

Gojyo had made sure to leave a bright orange flier on the bulletin board, but made a special addition to the bottom corner of the page. After that, he started spending evenings where Sanzo didn't spend the night (now reduced to two out of the week, on average) out on the roof. He and Hakkai had put a pair of chairs up on the otherwise empty rooftop, with plans to decorate further as they could afford it. He would wait by the railing and watch the street below. Finally, as March loomed only two days shy of the calendar, he spotted a shady figure in a dark, hooded coat wandering down the road. He stopped and stared at the sign, and Gojyo took a thumb-sized chunk of stone from where the tiles had cracked and dropped it about half a meter from the pedestrian's feet. Jien looked up and yanked his hood off, and grinned. Gojyo grinned back, and rushed inside. He took the stairs as quickly and quietly as he could to meet Jien at the door.

"I've been sneakin' around your old place for a damn month, you idiot!" Jien needled Gojyo as he opened the door, and promptly locked his left elbow around Gojyo's neck and dug his right middle knuckle into Gojyo's scalp, grinning madly. "You ain't been home- I was worried!"

"Well, it ain't like I just pass you on the road!" Gojyo got loose and shoved Jien back. Jien stumbled back, catching himself and grinning. "When did I have a chance to tell you, 'Hey, we're moving, we're gonna open a business in town!' I don't see you til like midnight, and I need to sleep sometimes, not out fuckin' stalking the roads looking for your dumb ass. Where the hell have you been, anyway?" Gojyo took him in briefly- he'd kept his hair neat and short, he was clean-shaven, but his clothes were still dirty.

"Out of town. Heard word on Yaone this time, thought she might'a been in Zhengzou. That city is dirt, but there's always work, even for criminals." Jien pushed past Gojyo into the house, and Gojyo locked the door.

"No dice?"

"No luck. Apparently she was there, but she was long gone by the time I got there." Jien sighed, then looked around the front room. "Hey, this place looks nice!" He beamed and started examining the clean, white counter and the cool, humidified box full of plastic bins just waiting to be filled with flowers.

"Keep it low, Hakkai sleeps right below here, and he sleeps with his eyes and ears open." Gojyo walked softly as example.

"Right, right," Jien muttered, considerably more sedately. "So, uh, flower shop. Neat. Where'd you get the idea?"

"Eh. We kinda figured it was better than getting our asses killed out there."

"Kinda weird coincidence, really. I think your mom was a florist, too."

"Huh!" Gojyo scratched his head, genuinely surprised. "I had no idea."

"Well, guess you wouldn't. I think that's how she met my dad, anyway; he bought flowers from her to give to my mom." Jien folded his arms and wrinkled his brow. "We all know how that ended, though."

"Right, right," Gojyo muttered. "Uh, the boys've been doin' well. Did you wanna see 'em?"

"Sure. Nice subject change, anyway."

"Shut up." Gojyo led Jien to the top of the stairs. Jien squinted as Gojyo opened the door.

"No lock?"

"The front door has a lock."

"That big window would be real damn easy to bust in and get to you and the kids."

"And then whoever it is has to deal with me an' Hakkai." Gojyo cracked his knuckles for emphasis as Jien entered the house.

"I'm more worried about the little guys." He picked up one of the toys left strewn on the floor and tossed it at the open box. "If he's faster or more agile, gets to them-"

"Okay, okay, shit, I'll put a lock on the goddamn door." Gojyo rolled his eyes.

"Thank you." Jien smirked.

Gojyo took Jien into the boys' bedroom, where they were soundly asleep. Jien grinned and scooped Eiji up. Eiji quickly woke, and began to cry. "Aw, whassa matter, don't get cranky with your Uncle Ji!"

"They've been sleeping more soundly since we moved. Less diaper changes, too. Guess they're getting closer to potty training." He reached out and twisted Eiji's little curls into place over his eyes. "Come on, buddy, no whining." Eiji wrinkled his nose and whined in a high-pitched squeal, and Gojyo winced. "Jerk."

"I shouldn't'a woken him up." Jien slung Eiji over his shoulder and began to rock him slowly. Eiji stuffed his thumb in his mouth, and Jien sighed contently. "Attaboy."

"I wish there were some other way we could do this," Gojyo muttered, resting his hand on his hip as Jien shifted Eiji to his chest and swayed him side to side. "I mean, what if Kou starts sleepin' here every night?"

"Kou?"

"Er- Sanzo." Gojyo looked away, scratching the inside of his arm insecurely.

"You mean Loverboy." Jien smirked, as Gojyo cocked his brow. "I ain't callin' him by his title."

"Whatever." Gojyo groaned.

"But if he starts stayin' over all the time- shit." Jien sighed, and moved Eiji down to his hip. "Heavy little bastard." He faced Gojyo again. "If that happens, we might have to try and meet in public when I'm in town. I can always shave my head or grow a beard or something."

"Yeah, I guess. But hey, what are the odds of that?" Gojyo chuckled to himself, and watched for a long moment as Jien hoisted Eiji up one more time, holding him tight.

After Jien said his quiet goodbyes to the twins and smoothed Eiji's hair down as he rolled over to sleep again, Gojyo walked him to the door. "Next time, go around to the back yard. There's a fire escape to the roof, but it also takes you past my window. I'll leave that unlocked, unless you think that'd put the boys at risk too."

"Nah, they'd have to get past you, right?" Jien snickered, but lingered in the aperture. "Forgot to ask- you and your bro are gonna run the place, but who's in charge of the flowers?"

"Well, uh, he'll be in charge of getting 'em and taking care of 'em, but I'll be making 'em pretty." Gojyo grinned. "Next time, I'll have some to show you."

"Really?" Jien's jaw dropped. "You, making bouquets and arrangements and shit?"

"What, you think that's girly?" Gojyo folded his arms and glared.

"Hey, no, no, never said that." Jien quickly looked away. "I dunno, sounds like a lot for just the two of you. You might wanna think about hiring some outside help, is what I wanna say."

"You offering?"

"No, that'd be a bad idea. Just sayin'. I'm gonna get a move on. I'll post on the board when I'm back in town. Here, you might wanna put this back up." He reached into his jacket and held out Gojyo's flier, with the bottom corner and the "Sha" signature torn off. "And if anyone gives you shit, you know what to do."

"Actually, I'm getting kinda used to urban living. Sure, people are assholes, but there's some nice people around here too." Gojyo smirked. "Ain't so bad."

"That's good." Jien rested his hand on Gojyo's head and pushed his part out of place. "Back soon, little brother." He pushed the door open and wandered back out into the street, pushing his hood back up over his hair and skulking off into the dim streets. Gojyo smiled contently, pulling his hair back into place by running his fingers through it and smoothing the part.

"Til then," he murmured to the air, and smiled at his brother's vanishing back.

* * *

On the first Saturday in March, 85 Flowers opened with only a little fanfare, and only inside the house. Sanzo had arrived early with Goku carrying a very large parcel with a ribbon around it, and instructed Gojyo to open it.

"Consider it a 'good luck' thing," he suggested as Gojyo beamed and used a pair of floral shears to slice the paper open. He yanked out a set of square wooden grates on hinges, which fell out of his hands into a playpen.

"Good luck? Hah!" He grinned, and folded it out. "It'll be good for business to keep the tots contained. A baby cage is a great idea!" He saw a thick book fall out of the grates as he did so. "Eh?" Sanzo quickly looked away as Gojyo picked it up and read the title: 'A Complete Encyclopedia of Flowers.' "Hey, this is nice!" He flipped it open. "Growing seasons, medicinal uses, floriog- floria-" He turned the book back to Sanzo. "Floriography?"

"Ah, the Western language of flowers," Hakkai answered as he walked past, arms filled with rolls of ribbon and paper. "They say far north of the silk road, people will send messages to each other using flowers, so every flower has a different meaning." Hakkai leaned over Gojyo's shoulder. "So, if you gave someone a bouquet of amaranth, it can mean either immortal love or hopelessness, depending on the flowers with it."

"Oh, I get it!" Gojyo grinned, and started flipping pages. "It might mean the first when paired with something like a red rose, or the second with, uh..." He landed on another page. "Uh, bachelor's buttons."

"Or rue," Hakkai added. "But those aren't terribly common requests."

"Still, this'll be awesome!" Gojyo looked between Sanzo and the book, and finally threw his arms around him. "Thank you!"

"U-uh." Sanzo pulled away, brushing his front off and feeling the warmth of his own cheeks with his palm. "Just a good luck present. I, uh, would like for you to succeed." He quickly, stiffly stalked away up the stairs. Hakkai began to giggle into his palms, as Gojyo, smirking, rolled his eyes and set up the playpen in the back room with his work table.

"Well, let's get the mascots and get this show on the road!" He started for the stairs, but Sanzo was already coming down with Yohei and Eiji in his arms. "Good timing. Guys, are we gonna be good while Daddy is working?" He asked with a grin.

"Mebbe!" Yohei answered cheekily, and Gojyo gently pinched his cheek and wiggled it.

"That better be a yes," he teased back, and scooped Eiji out of Sanzo's arms. "Would you mind stayin' with them while I go try and drum up business outside?"

"Certainly. Let me go and find something with which to entertain them," Sanzo agreed, passed Yohei off, and slid back up the stairs. Gojyo took them into his work room and set them in the playpen. The room was one of the odd ones- Gojyo was sure he wouldn't have been able to lay in it from side to side, but it was very long. The playpen fit neatly in the back half of the room, behind a table and a stool. Hakkai had installed shelves just above Gojyo's head all around the room and loaded them with glass and ceramic vases of different shapes, sizes, and colors, just to ensure neither infant nor immature hanyou would break them by mistake. The room was otherwise plain, but it would serve its purpose. The boys seemed rather confused by their new surroundings. Yohei promptly started trying to climb the gate, but Eiji started crying and reaching for Gojyo the moment he put them down.

"No, no, don't do that," Gojyo groaned, and knelt in front of them. "Look, the baby cage isn't so bad, we just don't want you getting hurt." Eiji cried louder, clenching his fists and stomping his feet, until Sanzo arrived in the room and dumped an armful of toys into the playpen behind them. Both of them were immediately distracted, and Gojyo dried Eiji's tears and nose on his sleeve and smiled gratefully at Sanzo. "You're a lifesaver."

"Part of the job description," Sanzo replied sedately, and took a seat on Gojyo's stool and pulled the morning paper from inside his sleeve. "Go on, didn't you say you had something to do?" He met Gojyo's eyes from the side of the paper. Gojyo chuckled, smoothed his hair back, and grinned at his children.

"Well, guess I'll go make you guys proud!" He bounded from the room with a skip in his step, and Sanzo watched him leave, leaning around the corner to watch him walk out the door, hardly realizing that he was nodding to himself. He then put his paper down and climbed into the playpen with the boys.

"You, you, me," he murmured, holding up the building blocks as the both of them looked at him. "Tower contest. Go."

Gojyo hardly had time to start busking before a woman rushed past him into the store. He turned to watch, as Hakkai greeted her: "Good morning, miss, how can I help you this fine-"

"Do you have ready-made bouquets?" She demanded breathlessly. Hakkai quickly studied her face- she was flushed pink, eyes wide, dejected. He quickly started calculating the best way to deal with her, replying as politely as he could.

"I'm afraid not, ma'am, but our schedule is free and our designer is in, we should have something ready for you quickly. When do you need this bouquet?"

"Now. Immediately." She lowered her eyes, and Hakkai could see she was starting to cry.

"I'm afraid we don't have anything ready to take out of the store-"

"As soon as possible!" She squeaked, clenching soft fists. Gojyo entered as he saw the woman start to wipe her eyes.

"Okay, honey, tell me what's wrong," Gojyo asked smoothly as he came up beside her. She buried her face in her hands.

"I'm getting married in an hour, but our florist fell through. I don't care if there are no arrangements at the wedding site, but if we don't at least have a bouquet, my parents will be humiliated because they'll think we're cheap-"

"Whoa, whoa, you're getting married and they sent _you_ to get stuff?" Gojyo laughed and patted her arm. "Man, don't you have a dress to put on and makeup to wear? Hakkai, let's set this lady up right now. What do we have that's red and white?"

"We have red chrysanthemums a-plenty," Hakkai reported cheerfully. "Perhaps a few white lilies for contrast?"

"It's your wedding day, and our opening day, and you're not getting exactly what you want, so how's a twenty-five percent discount sound?" Gojyo grinned, and the woman finally cracked a smile.

"Th-that sounds lovely."

Sanzo had heard the entire exchange, and was trying hard to hold his mouth shut as Gojyo entered his office with a small bundle of flowers. The woman waited at the door as Gojyo trimmed the stems with almost-expert precision and care, gathered them into a conical shape and tied the bottom. She noticed Sanzo and the twins with a tower above the boys' heads and nearly to Sanzo's, and giggled. "Oh, are they yours?"

"Yep," Gojyo replied happily, and continued to work. "They're the store mascots!"

"That's so sweet, they get to come to work with you!" She smiled eagerly. Both boys stood still for a moment, realizing they were being watched. Eiji edged closer to Sanzo, and buried his face in Sanzo's side, but Yohei crept closer to her, looking up and down.

"Hi lady," he finally chirped, and smiled.

"Hello," she replied, in that sing-song tone most women reserve for speaking to young children.

"Miss," Gojyo interjected as he held up the flowers tied-off with a short strand of white cord. "We're a little limited on wrapping supplies, since we would normally special-order anything you wanted, but we have some white satin and red ribbon. Will that be good enough?"

"Oh, yes, that'll be perfect!" She agreed, and wiped her eyes again as Gojyo slid from his stool and moved past her into the room across the hall to retrieve the satin roll. "I'm so lucky I found you- most places wouldn't take a rush order like this."

"Well, we were planning on doing most of our ordering based on custom orders, but we thought it'd look bad for our flower case to be empty, so we ordered these just to have something on display," Gojyo admitted sheepishly as he unrolled the satin and began to trim a long piece off in a triangular shape. "And, we had what we thought would be the most common bouquet wrappers and trim on display. But hey, if having stuff on hand lets us help you, then all the better!" He snipped a piece of ribbon from a roll hanging off a higher shelf, took a small handful of pins with pearlized caps, returned to his stool and began to wrap the flowers up with the pins held in place between his lips. In a quick moment, the flowers were wrapped tightly, the ribbon was tied around the bottom, and Gojyo made a few last adjustments to the height of the flowers before pinning them in place, somehow forming the pins into a straight line while inserting the pins into the stems. "Alright, ma'am, how does this look?" He held the flowers out towards her with a smile, tilting the flowers towards her, and she gasped

"Oh, it's lovely! It's beautiful! It's better than I could have asked for!" She clasped her hands, smiling with glee. "You're amazing!"

"Why, thank you, but you don't need to tell me twice," Gojyo crowed proudly, and Sanzo scoffed softly and rolled his eyes. "I only ask one little thing of you." He handed the flowers off to her. "You just tell everyone you know about our little shop here, and have a nice time at your wedding."

"Oh, I will, believe me, I will!" She giggled, clutching the flowers to her chest. Her eyes were still swollen and red, but a smile had come back to her face.

"Excellent." He got back to his feet and led her to Hakkai, who wrote up an invoice which she paid without complaint, and they waved her out of the store. Gojyo peeked in on Sanzo and the twins before returning to the store's sidewalk. "What's up?"

"I had no idea you were a good salesman," Sanzo explained flatly, and Gojyo guffawed.

"No way! I'm just good at talkin' to ladies." He smirked, snakelike, and Sanzo scowled, but his smile softened as he continued; "Plus, I couldn't stand the idea of that pretty lady so upset on her big day. Happiest day of a woman's life, right? And it did feel nice to make her smile. That was nice." He cracked his knuckles. "Hope I did it right, for going so fast."

"You already gave her a discount, it only has to last the day anyway." Sanzo shrugged, and Gojyo chuckled and shook his head.

"Yeah, I guess as long as it lasts the day. Don't make me second-guess myself, that won't help."

"Will it help if I say..." Sanzo stopped himself, and mumbled the rest. Gojyo folded his arms and smirked, but Sanzo looked away. Gojyo leaned against the wall, making it clear he wasn't leaving until he heard the rest, and Sanzo sighed softly. "You, uh, did a good job. It was p-pretty. She was happy. Good job."

"Aww, thanks." Gojyo swept closer and leaned over to kiss Sanzo on the forehead. Sanzo grimaced, but turned up and kissed Gojyo back.

"Get back to work."

"Yessir." He grinned at the boys. "You guys did good too! Keep working on your towers." He winked at them, and rushed back outside.

Sanzo listened around his activities with the boys, between snacks, a short stroll around the neighborhood and a nap, as Hakkai and Gojyo took orders and wrote estimates, as Gojyo conjured up quick nosegays and corsages on demand. After sundown, the shop closed, and Hakkai started making dinner while Gojyo counted the drawer and calculated their expenses. Sanzo took the twins back upstairs as Gojyo balanced the books.

"You're doing the finances?" Sanzo mused when he went back down to the shop to check on Gojyo.

"Sure am, why do you ask?"

"Doesn't seem like you."

"Well, if I don't do this, then Hakkai has to, and I have to wait longer to eat," Gojyo chuckled and continued to write. "He'll just check it over when I'm done." He folded the papers over, checking the balance column one last time. "And I am. Let's go eat!"

* * *

The family gathered around the table for the evening meal, quiet and content but for the boys' babbling. It only then dawned on Gojyo that Goku hadn't shown up that day, and realized that the young man must not have gotten out of bed that morning. "So, still no idea what's up with Goku falling asleep all the time?" Gojyo wondered as he removed Eiji from his high-chair and set him loose on the ground.

"Not a clue." Sanzo continued trying to feed Yohei, though Yohei was having absolutely none of the offered bean soup.

"Have you asked him?"

"I figured if he wanted to tell me, he wouldn't shut up about it," Sanzo explained. Gojyo was about to protest, but realized that Sanzo was completely correct.

"You still ought'a ask him," Gojyo suggested with a shrug, but Sanzo didn't seem to acknowledge him as he continued trying to feed Yohei.

"He'll tell us when he's ready. All things at their own pace, after all," Hakkai contributed in his usual, distant way. He smiled blithely. "Still, it seems we have much to do here. It would be nice to have him around."

"Would be nice to have the whole family together," Gojyo concurred, then looked to Sanzo. "Hey, I have a little surprise for you!" He grinned slyly. "I couldn't sleep last night, I figured I'd surprise you when the day was over. Don't leave tonight before I show you."

"Oh, a surprise?" Sanzo frowned curiously, but Gojyo zipped his lips.

"Let's not talk about after-dinner surprises at the table, please," Hakkai interjected pleasantly, and both Gojyo and Sanzo scoffed and rolled their eyes.

After giving the twins their evening bath and changing them for bed, Gojyo insisted he carry the twins in while Sanzo covered his eyes. Sanzo was thankful his eyes were covered for how hard he wanted to roll them, but it was easier than arguing. Gojyo set the boys in their crib, and turned back to Sanzo. "Okay, you can look now!" Sanzo uncovered his eyes, and was surprised to see the window open and the window box installed, planted with fluffy, lush green sprouts.

"Ah." Sanzo crossed the room to examine Gojyo's handiwork- the boards were cut, though not sanded perfectly, the nails installed securely, and the white paint slick though streaked in spots. "This is nice. And the flowers?"

"They'll be violets, eventually. We can take the box in during the winter to keep them alive, but they'll be really pretty by June." Gojyo beamed proudly. "I'm a man of my word, right?"

"You are," Sanzo agreed. "At this rate, the city will be yours by then."

"It already is," Gojyo chuckled. "So, gonna head back to the temple?"

"I think not." Sanzo snaked his hand around Gojyo's waist, and Gojyo grinned.

"Then let's not."

Sanzo read the boys their goodnight story, as Gojyo watched the streetlights turn on and the house lights turn off across the city. Like clockwork, the city moved forward in its routine, and the odd little family now fit in like another cog, part of the forward motion, but winding in their own direction.

* * *

**End Notes:** I think I'm making a bad habit of ending each chapter on a "d'awwwwwww." Or is this really such a bad habit?

Next time- drunken babies. Come back and find out! Oh, and don't forget to leave a review!


	10. Gonna Be a Man!

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author Notes: **Another fortnight, another fourteen dollars, and this chapter gets a little silly. Better than worrying about the crazy weather we've been going through, right?

Review responses!

Dragon77 and Kakashii'sWifey: Ahh, I always feel bad that Jien doesn't have a bigger part in the story! I wish he could show up every chapter. But believe me, he has an important role to play, just maybe a little later... and maybe, like suggested, at the worst possible time.

RodiSquall: I always heard sugar highs were a myth; kids just get really excited over getting sugar. Babies don't need sugar or alcohol to act like crazy little jerks, either. Fixed the spelling error again- I should probably stop ignoring the wiggly red line, since it sometimes knows what it's talking about.

DISCLAIMER: Nope, still not mine, just the original scenario and characters.

* * *

**9: Gonna Be a Man!**

"Lemme see it." Goku tapped his toes on the den carpet as he held Yohei's cheeks. Gojyo could hear that Yohei had been crying for a few minutes now, but waited for Goku to calm Yohei down.

"Uh-uh." Yohei kept sniffling, as Goku fidgeted with his face.

"Lemme see!"

"Uh-uh!"

"Open!"

"No!" Gojyo finally had to look and see what Goku and Yohei were arguing about.

"The hell are you assholes doing?" Gojyo stormed into the den. It was an April Monday, the one day of the week Hakkai and Gojyo agreed they could close the store with little consequence, and while Hakkai chose to go out and pick up some flowers from the farms around town for their orders, Gojyo had been convinced (or nagged, depending on who was telling it) to stay in and do some spring cleaning. With the shop busy, Gojyo and Hakkai had fallen somewhat behind on keeping the house as clean as Hakkai liked it, and while Gojyo saw absolutely nothing wrong with the curtains being a little dusty, Hakkai insisted it was part of teaching the boys to be hygienic out on their own (or "neurotic," according to Gojyo) that they see their childhood home clean. Sanzo had gotten caught up at the temple that morning, settling a minor dispute concerning some land on the outskirts of town (or, as Gojyo interpreted it, "eavesdropping on some major drama") but had sent Goku along to help Gojyo with the twins that day. Now, Eiji was busy with a box of crayons and some ledger paper, and Goku was trying to look in a crying Yohei's mouth.

"He had somethin' in his mouth!" Goku insisted over Yohei's whining, pointing. "I saw it!"

"Let my kid go!" Gojyo glared at him, and Goku did. Yohei promptly shoved his thumb back into his mouth, tears streaming down his face. "See, he's crying now, ass!" Gojyo knelt by Yohei. "Let Daddy see." Yohei refused to move his thumb, and a new round of crying began.

"See, I told you, he's got something in there, he won't show me!" Goku folded his arms, vindicated, and Gojyo finally wrenched Yohei's jaw open to see what Goku meant.

"Ohhh." Gojyo grinned. "Good eyes, Goku." He held Yohei's mouth open and pointed to the gum right below his nose. "Check it out!"

"That's a tooth!" Goku squealed with glee, leaning to look closer at the tooth. "Sweet!"

"No wonder you're crying, you little brat, your mouth hurts! Here, I know what to do about that." Gojyo let Yohei's mouth go, though Yohei continued to cry. He returned with a bottle of sake from the refrigerator. "I know it's better warm, but it's the strongest stuff we got in the house."

"What's that for?" Goku cocked his head as Gojyo poured a shot glass half-way full.

"I heard a finger of alcohol will calm a teething baby down. I dunno how much a finger actually is, but since he's mine, I bet he can handle his liquor." Gojyo grinned and shook the shot glass.

"Oh yeah, I guess alcohol kinda does have a numbing effect! That's a great idea!" Goku held the bottle as Gojyo got on his knees with the glass half-filled

"Okay, Yohei, open wide!" Gojyo crouched next to Yohei again, holding the shot glass out...

* * *

Three hours later, Sanzo arrived to find Gojyo and Goku cleaning a foul-smelling, splattered mess out of the bathtub while Eiji and Yohei were taking a nap. He flinched at the distinct smell of booze from the sick splattering the bathroom wall. "Drinking in the middle of the day?" The bile was apparent in his voice.

"It wasn't us- it was Yohei!" Goku jumped between Gojyo and Sanzo. "He got totally wasted!"

"How would he get drunk?" Sanzo looked at the two in turn, waiting for one of the idiots to confess.

"He has a tooth, so Gojyo gave him a fingerful of sake to help with the pain!" Goku gestured to his mouth, as Gojyo continued to scowl at the wall and wipe the vomit from the porcelain. "Cept we don't know how much is a finger, so we gave him a shot-"

"You did what?!" Sanzo rushed from the room to the nursery, where Yohei and Eiji were still soundly asleep. "You could have given him alcohol poisoning, you moron!"

"It was like half a shot of sake! Not even! He spit most of it out!" Gojyo got to his feet and followed Sanzo from the room. "He's fine!"

"He spewed all over your bathroom, and he's fine?!" Sanzo yanked Yohei from the crib. Eiji woke up and started crying, but Yohei opened his watery eyes and hiccuped. He sniffed Yohei- he too smelled like booze, not to mention the need for a fresh diaper, which Sanzo promptly began to give him. "A fingerful of sake is NOT a shot, nor even half a shot, you dolts."

"Hey, look on the bright side- he's not gonna wanna drink for at least a decade!" Gojyo sighed, forcing an optimistic grin. "No underage drinkin' in our house, no sir-"

"You're a complete idiot!" Sanzo snapped, and took Yohei from the table and stalked away, still fuming even with the baby still rested calm and smiling stupidly on his shoulder.

Sanzo spent the remainder of the afternoon on the roof, as Yohei slept off his inebriation. The night proceeded with neither father talking to each other until after the twins had gone to bed, as both parents stood at the side of the crib and looked down at the sleeping infants

"You said he was teething?" Sanzo didn't look at Gojyo, and Gojyo seemed to debate whether or not to answer him for a moment.

"Y-yeah. Are we cool now?"

"No. Which tooth?"

"Didn't you check?"

"He complained whenever I tried to open his mouth." He still refused to make eye contact with Gojyo, but Gojyo chuckled and gently lifted Yohei's upper lip.

"You can just see it. Little tiny bit of white there." He pointed at the upper gum, and Sanzo nodded.

"He'll be chewing things soon, I suppose."

"Yup. We'll be able to give them solid foods that are actually, you know, solid." Gojyo released Yohei's lip and rubbed his cheek. Yohei whined, and Gojyo drew his hand back like it'd been burned, glanced to Sanzo and laughed nervously.

"I suppose I'll have to be somewhat more careful with my sutra." Sanzo pulled his sutra from around his neck and looked it over.

"Ain't it, you know, protected?"

"As a divine item, yes, it cannot be corrupted or harmed. However, I don't know if it might harm them if they should unintentionally try to harm it." He rolled the sutra up and tucked it into his left sleeve. "It probably reeks of cigarettes anyway."

"Yeah, speakin' of which, I need one. Avoidin' you all afternoon's got me having cravings." Gojyo stretched his arms behind his head and strolled away, and Sanzo glared over his shoulder.

"You wouldn't have to avoid me if you weren't an idiot."

* * *

It seemed to the parents that this was the next step in the twins gaining independence, and Gojyo and Sanzo celebrated Yohei's advance by acquiring a set of teething rings. Hakkai joined the fun and began to check each boy's gums in the morning and at night, and while neither infant appreciated the procedure, within a week of beginning teething, Yohei had one-and-a-half teeth. Eiji, however, was having a much more difficult time- he heralded the start of teething by starting to cry out of the blue only a few days after Goku had spotted Yohei's tooth, but while Gojyo saw a lot of little white buds after four days of waiting, Eiji had none fully visible. In addition, it seemed that what he lacked in progress, he made up for in pain.

Gojyo lost track of how many hours Eiji spent crying. Once he started, he'd barely stopped, only when taking a bottle or sleeping and sometimes not even for those. Gojyo hated listening to Eiji cry from his work table, even as Sanzo tried to jostle and bounce him to comfort or distract him, feeling completely useless. Sanzo also seemed worn thin, but Gojyo felt muted surprise that he was not angry or frustrated with Eiji. Instead, he sat against the wall of Gojyo's work room, cuddling the child in his lap and rubbing tears from his chubby, flushed cheeks. Gojyo sat with them whenever he didn't have something to work on, as Yohei gummed on his hard toys and Eiji cried and chewed on his own hand.

"We gave them teething toys," Gojyo complained as Yohei broke an ear off of one of his wooden horses. "Where did they go?"

"Eiji dropped them in the toilet. Hakkai said he'd clean them," Sanzo was unable to make eye contact as he wiped Eiji's eyes and nose again. "I don't know if they even helped."

"How fuckin' long is it gonna take for them to get through this?" Gojyo pushed his hair back from his eyes.

"Where's the stupid baby book?" Sanzo leaned back against the wall, even as Eiji thrashed and sobbed harder.

"I have no idea."

"Then you've answered your own question," Sanzo shifted Eiji to his other shoulder and lowered his gaze. "Get me the sake."

"What?"

"Don't 'what' me. You heard me." Sanzo turned a vicious glare to Gojyo, and Gojyo scampered from the room, running past Hakkai up the stairs. Hakkai looked up from checking the ledger as he passed.

"Something wrong?"

"Sanzo needs a drink!" Gojyo called back behind him, and Hakkai giggled and ran his palm over his face.

"My, and it's not even noon yet."

Sanzo dipped his finger in the sake bottle, doing so deliberately and staring at Gojyo, who had handed off the bottle and perched himself on his stool, to ensure he was watching, then ran his finger along Eiji's swollen gums. Eiji whimpered, but sucked the rest of the alcohol off of Sanzo's finger. He wrinkled his nose up and shrieked in protest, until Sanzo dipped his finger in the bottle again and let Eiji suck the sake off. Eiji tried to spit, complaining to the tune of something that vaguely sounded like "It's bad, it's bad!" Sanzo patted his back until he settled down.

"That," he glared at Gojyo, "is two fingers worth of sake."

"Why'd you give him two?" Gojyo asked.

"Because I don't like that he's in this much pain. A bit of extra numbing won't hurt." The alcohol seemed to kick in and Eiji fell silent, sucking his thumb and staring at the wall with dilated pupils. Sanzo took a swig of the sake himself and tossed the bottle to Gojyo.

"Well, might as well join the crowd," Gojyo chuckled, and took a sip. He set the bottle down under his table, slid from his stool and took Yohei's toy from his mouth. "Hard to believe, they're gonna be men soon, right?" He gave Yohei a plain wooden block to chew instead, which he promptly did.

"No." Sanzo's dark eyes fixed on something distant. "They're still little boys."

"They're already drinkin', right? They're gonna be men!"

"Not today, not tomorrow," Sanzo returned. "A fingerful of sake does not a man make."

"Yeah, guess not." Gojyo leaned back into the playpen and checked in Eiji's mouth. He could see some of the teeth starting to push through the gums, though it seemed the sake was helping to reduce the swelling. "But hey, it's a step."

Over the next few days, the sake bottle was never more than two meters away from the twins, and neither was Sanzo. Sanzo insisted on giving them their "treatment" every couple of hours, which kept them unusually quiet. Instead of crying, Eiji spent most of his time staring, dazed, at the walls and floor, giggling at what seemed to be nothing. Yohei did not like the sake treatment, and as such Sanzo only used it on his gums instead of letting him have a tiny sip. Gojyo could hardly get close to them without Sanzo intervening, always a hands' breadth from taking either infant from him. Even after a week of Eiji teething, Gojyo wasn't allowed close, not even during the boys' evening playtime.

"You really don't trust me?" Gojyo laughed as Sanzo halted Gojyo's hand from lifting Eiji's lip. Sanzo stared evenly at him, as though to say 'You know the answer to that question.' "I wouldn't hurt them. They're my boys too."

"Stop playing with their mouths." Sanzo tossed Gojyo's wrist away. "You're going to make them more sensitive." He took Eiji from the room and stalked out towards the roof. Gojyo sighed, then crouched to check Yohei. Yohei had both front teeth, and Gojyo could see the little buds for most of his molars. Yohei turned away to get Gojyo out of his mouth, growling like an irritated little dog as he continued to play away from Gojyo. Gojyo sighed and turned back to Hakkai, who had watched the exchange from the kitchen table. Hakkai had busied himself writing up an order manifest, and only looked up from it again when Gojyo sat down at the table and sighed a little harder.

"Yes, I saw it. Yes, he trusts you," Hakkai began to answer before Gojyo could even ask. "Of course he does. He seems to be developing a protective streak." Hakkai tapped his lip with his pencil. "Then again, developing may not be the word. Exhibiting, perhaps- he's always had it."

"Please, that guy's only ever been about protecting himself."

"Do you honestly think that?" Hakkai looked directly at Gojyo, who slumped his shoulders and shook his head. "I didn't think so." Gojyo tried to sink through the floor, as Hakkai looked back to the ledger. "And even if that is so, then it makes his desire to protect them even more understandable- he had a difficult childhood. He wants them to have everything he did not or could not, such as a sturdy support system, a white knight to battle all their assailants, a shield from pain and ridicule, and the chance to be innocent. He must look at them and see all of his own lost potential. Don't you feel the same?"

Gojyo looked at Yohei, but couldn't answer. Hakkai smiled, and continued, "This is not the first time they have cried in pain, but this is the longest extent of time either has had to cry in pain. You've tolerated it well enough, but he must be heartsick seeing them ache for so long."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Hell, maybe I oughta be more upset." Gojyo smiled and pushed his hair back behind his eyes. "Still, they'll get over it. I know that, he probably knows that, it's just something they gotta go through." He sighed again, turning to watch as Yohei briefly stopped playing with his toy horse to gum on it, then began to jump it across the floor again. "I just wish..." Gojyo trailed off, but Hakkai leaned forward curiously. Gojyo chuckled, resting his hand on his chin. "I just wish he were more protective of me."

Hakkai smiled, though he saw a hint of sadness in Gojyo's expression. "You never know. Hard to say how he feels, really."

"Guess so." And with that, Gojyo went back to pestering Yohei while trying to play with him.

Near dinner time that night, Gojyo found Sanzo still on the roof with Eiji. As Sanzo had found himself spending more and more time out there, he had gradually brought around a few more things to decorate it. Now, there were two chairs and a table with an ashtray. Sanzo was not, however, smoking, instead reclining in the same position Gojyo had found him in countless times over the past week- leaned back in the chair with Eiji woozily dozing against his chest. He kept his distance and quietly tried to think of a way to broach the ice between them, but luckily, Sanzo took the initiative.

"When I was young-" he paused, glancing uncomfortably over his shoulder to Gojyo. "My... my master would tell this story about me as an anecdote. Before I had the presence of mind to remember such things, perhaps when I was eighteen months of age, I was in the same unpleasant position as this one. My teeth were coming in, but slowly and painfully. My master told me that he had to give me sips of strong sake once an hour just to keep me calm and quiet, and I would, according to him, act like a regular barfly." He scoffed and shifted Eiji to his other shoulder. "I would try and yank the robes of the other monks and look up them, and demand more sake whenever I saw him. But he said that without it, I was in a great deal of pain, so he had to suffer my being a nuisance until I got over it." He lifted Eiji up and rubbed his nose to his forehead. "Poor boy... I'm beginning to fear he will be too much like me. He already has my mouth."

"No, he doesn't," Gojyo chuckled, folding his arms. "He has my mouth, you see how big it is?" Sanzo glared at Gojyo, but Gojyo brushed it off with a laugh. "Look, they'll be exactly what we make them, and we gotta raise 'em right for that. That's all it is. You think I'm a shit parent?"

"No." Sanzo turned away again, looking back to the spring sunset over the city skyline.

"Right. Neither are you. They'll be fine. Just 'cause he's having difficulty teething doesn't mean he's gonna be just like you." Gojyo took a few tentative steps closer, opening his arms and leaning over Sanzo. "You can be protective, just don't be so scared of them growing up, okay?"

"Hmph." Sanzo narrowed his eyes. "I'm not. Is that all you're here to say?"

"Nope. Dinner's ready. Thought you might wanna see Yohei try and chew some rice."

"Of course." Sanzo got to his feet and strolled towards the trapdoor to the house, Eiji still lolling drowsily over his shoulder. Gojyo smirked and followed, wrapping an arm briefly around Sanzo's waist as he escorted him back to the house.

* * *

It seemed manhood was well on the way for the twins, at least as Gojyo viewed it. The boys were getting taller and taller from week to week, and their walking was steadier than ever. They were also getting much more clever, too. Gojyo soon didn't mind those scrutinizing blue and red eyes, no matter where they seemed to pop up. Door handles, for example, were no longer a challenge. Gojyo first discovered this in the shower one morning. He had gotten them dressed and went to shower before the store opened. It wasn't until about halfway through that he realized the door had been opened and he had two curious sets of eyes staring at him up and down through the shower door. He kept his mouth shut and carried on like he didn't have an audience watching him rub soap under his arms. He wrapped a towel around his waist as he stepped out, and stared down at them. Eiji's thumb was stuck firmly in his mouth, but Yohei smiled cheekily at him.

"Dada got-"

"Daddy knows what Daddy's got, okay?" Gojyo smirked, wrapping his towel a little tighter. "But stuff that happens in here is stuff we don't talk about outside of the house, got it?" He shooed them out the door, and leaned out to where Hakkai was reading the paper. "Hey, remind me to lock this goddamn door next time!"

This first incident notwithstanding, Gojyo didn't mind that the boys were gaining autonomy, until he realized that independence meant he couldn't keep them out of trouble as easily. June arrived, and Hakkai and Gojyo had entered their third month of business. While Sanzo spent most days watching the twins and caring for them while Gojyo worked, he occasionally had to take care of business for the temple- he had to at least pretend to care about his position. Gojyo was usually able to keep half an eye on the twins over his work, but when work got intense, he would start to forget they were there. However, they always knew he was there, and they were watching him.

This, Gojyo decided, was how they knew to scale the playpen quietly. This was how they always slipped past him while he was focused intently on cutting thorns from roses or comparing the lengths of stems. And this was how they got their first serious complaint.

"EEK! Get out of there!" Gojyo immediately peeked out of his office when he heard a customer shriek, then looked between the playpen and the store floor. Sure enough, the twins had escaped the playpen, and while Eiji had busied himself in the storage closet, Yohei had slipped under a customer's knee-length dress, and was now getting shooed out. He laughed wildly and went to cling to Hakkai's leg. She gasped, cheeks flushing bright red. "Is that brat yours?"

"No, he belongs to my business partner," Hakkai looked over her shoulder to meet Gojyo's eyes before he could dodge out of view. "Is there any reason they're out of their pen?"

"Well- y'see-" Gojyo started, but stopped when he heard a crash and saw a tumult of boxes falling from the shelves in the storage room. "Oh, fuck me!" He bolted from his chair to rescue a now-screaming Eiji from the avalanche he had caused.

"How dare you talk to customers like that!" The woman cried out, and stomped out the door in a huff. Hakkai smiled blankly to himself as Yohei toddled away from him and pressed his ever-sticky palms against the glass on the flower storage box.

"My, I suppose she won't be coming back." Hakkai came out from behind the counter to check on Gojyo and Eiji. Gojyo was silent but enraged as he examined the bumps and bruises on Eiji's head and knees, ignoring the satin rolls bruised on the floor and the multitude of pins rolling in three-hundred directions around them. "Is he okay?"

"Did you see them get out?" Gojyo yanked Eiji from the ground and hugged him to his chest. Eiji continued to cry and rub his eyes.

"I saw Yohei a second too late. Perhaps you should keep your door shut."

"They can open the fucking door, man." Gojyo gingerly stepped over the pins and set Eiji on his table, shoving the roses he was working on aside. Eiji had calmed down and started sucking his thumb again, still wiping tears away.

"But you'll hear them open the door."

"Can't fuckin' wait for goddamn preschool." Gojyo rolled his eyes and scrunched Eiji's pants up to check both legs.

"You haven't answered my question."

"Nothing bleeding." Gojyo examined the biggest bruise on Eiji's head. "Yeah, he's fine, just shaken up." He gave Eiji a little kiss next to the bruise. "You got any better ideas?"

"I suppose we'll just have to watch them a little more closely." Hakkai retrieved Yohei from the shop floor and placed him back in the pen. "Perhaps they need more to do."

"I'm gonna ask Sanzo to send Goku over when he can't come," Gojyo sighed, and put Eiji back in the playpen alongside him. "Remind me to measure the baby gate at the stairs, be sure that's tall enough- that's the last thing we need them crawling over."

"Very true," Hakkai remarked, looking Eiji's bumps and bruises over from behind the gate. "Poor things. Growing up is hard, isn't it?" He smiled at them, and Gojyo sighed and scratched the back of his head.

"You're tellin' me."

* * *

This gain of vertical motion was a significant bugbear for the parents. Gojyo had to watch them much more carefully, and Sanzo had to keep a grip on both of them as they tried to jump the playpen on every whim. It soon became easier to sit on the floor beside the outer face of the pen so he could reach over it easily to grab one while setting the other down. Despite all that, Sanzo discovered a small advantage late one mid-June night.

A storm had started near midnight, and Sanzo woke when the rain began to echo off the roof. Gojyo was still asleep beside him, but muttering, twitching, and swatting at something in his sleep. Sanzo slid off the bed, pushing the sheets behind him and walking to the window. He sighed to himself and opened the window, listening to the rain for a moment. He then took his cigarettes from his robe, which had been slung unceremoniously over the door, and leaned out the window to light up. Gojyo continued to twitch and mumble in his sleep. Sanzo could only just make out some of what he was saying:

"Off... off... get off..."

Sanzo inhaled slowly, and exhaled a smoke ring. Thunder crashed somewhere in the distance, and he heard a loud 'THUMP!' from the room next door. He quickly put his cigarette out in the puddle gathering on the sill and rushed to the door, but it opened as he reached it. Yohei had pushed the door open, tears in his eyes and a plush turtle's neck wrung in his hand.

"P-papa," he whispered, tears streaming down his cheeks, but was interrupted when thunder struck again, and he jumped against Sanzo's leg. Sanzo crouched and wrapped his arms around him.

"Did the noise scare you?" He asked, and Yohei nodded. "Nothing to be scared of." He felt a pair of hands on his arm, and looked over Yohei's shoulder to see Eiji tugging at his sleeve. He pulled Eiji into the embrace, then lifted both of them against his shoulder. "Both of you, look." He walked to the still-ajar window, where rain had started to splatter the floor. Lightning flashed, and he braced them both. He could feel the pressure wave coming, making the hair on the back of his neck stand upright, and the boys both cringed. The thunder boomed, and both boys shrieked. "Hush." Sanzo rubbed his nose against each head in turn. "It's just a big noise, nothing to be afraid of."

"Buh why?" Eiji whimpered. Sanzo was quiet, trying to think of a response, but a weary voice answered from the bed:

"S'cause the thunder and lightning love each other." Gojyo sat up, running his fingers through his hair to push it back from his face. "You see, they're a daddy and son up in Heaven, but when it rains, Thunder comes down to Earth to play, and Lightning plays with him." He beckoned Sanzo closer, and he set the boys down at the end of the bed. "They kinda play hide-an'-seek. Lightning, he makes a bright light so Thunder can see 'im. An' Thunder shouts so Lightning can hear 'im. They'll do that 'til they find each other or the rain stops, and then they go home."

"Looooooud." Yohei clenched his fists and pounding them against the mattress. Gojyo shushed him and reached out to him.

"It's okay. Just a little noise. You can sleep with Daddy and Papa, and we'll keep you safe." Gojyo smiled sleepily and looked to Sanzo. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Not at all." Sanzo pulled Eiji up the bed to tuck him in, as Gojyo tucked Yohei in. He got back into the bed himself, and sat up against the headboard as Gojyo settled the twins onto their pillows. "They must have scaled their way out of the crib, and opened the doors."

"Brilliant." Gojyo grinned a little wider. Lightning struck again outside, and Yohei squirmed a little closer to Gojyo. Thunder responded with a crackling grumble, and Eiji sniffled softly into the pillow.

"It's okay." Sanzo stroked Eiji's hair. "There's nothing to be afraid of, out there or in here." He looked over to Gojyo, who didn't seem to notice what he'd said.

"You were awake anyway, right?" Gojyo asked, turning soft eyes up from watching Yohei. "I'm having trouble sleeping tonight too. We can stay awake together, if you want."

The parents sat up the whole night, watching the rain fall past the windows, watching Sanzo's cigarettes slowly soak through, talking on and off about almost nothing at all. The boys slept silently beside them, ignoring the sounds of the thunder and lightning playing in the city streets and secure between their parents.

"They've never slept with us before, right?" Gojyo murmured as the rain started to clear up near dawn. "I was always scared to let 'em, just 'cause I was scared I'd roll over and crush 'em."

"Reasonable." Sanzo leaned back against the headboard. His head was starting to ache, but he still didn't feel like resting.

"But they got here on their own. All day, they try to get away, then at night, they come to us." Gojyo laughed, and rubbed Yohei's shoulder. "Whaddya think they'll do next?"

"Only time will tell." Sanzo lowered his gaze, as Gojyo slid down to lay his head on the pillow beside Yohei's.

"We oughta try and sleep a little. See you in an hour." He smiled at Sanzo over the dent in his pillow, and Sanzo leaned over the boys to kiss his cheek.

"In the morning, then." He could hear the rain dripping off the roof even now, and sighed to himself. All the ink had been washed out of his cigarette box, but he didn't care about it anymore. He reached beside him and entwined his fingers with Gojyo's hair. His scarlet locks had finally grown past his shoulders again, silky and shiny, and slick with the humidity in the room. Sanzo tangled his fingers close to his scalp, and ran his fingertips across the skin in curved patterns, and Gojyo smiled in his slumber. No, he didn't need his cigarettes. The sound of his family snoozing around him was comfort enough, and he was grateful to have it.

* * *

The summer rolled on, business continued in an upward trend, and the boys' progress was ever more apparent. Gojyo thought the most noticeable advance had been in their language development- after all, they were having conversations now:

"Dada?" Yohei initiated from the base of Gojyo's work stool. Gojyo glanced around from the flowers he was trimming.

"What's up, kiddo?"

"Dada, I made." He pointed at his diaper indicatively. Gojyo glanced out into the hallway- Hakkai was talking to a customer, and there was no sign of Sanzo returning from changing Eiji.

"Is it a one or a two?"

"One!" Yohei held up one finger, and Gojyo chuckled.

"Okay, give me a minute, don't move." He continued working, and Yohei shuffled his feet uncomfortably, before stiffening up for a moment.

"Okay, is two now."

"F-" Gojyo groaned, and reluctantly put the flowers down. "Then let's go."

They weren't very sophisticated conversations, but they were conversations nonetheless. He was also impressed at the new things they could do day by day- from simple things, such as holding crayons to draw or the more complex things, like following directions. That they were willing and able to follow directions made their daily tasks just that much easier:

Bath time was no exception, and Gojyo tested the limits of the boys' comprehension one night as he pulled them from the tub. "Eiji, rub the towel on your hair and go wait on your bed." He pointed out of the room after toweling Eiji's body off.

"Kay, Daddy." Eiji put the towel on his head and toddled out. Gojyo turned his attention to Yohei.

"Left foot first." He grinned, and picked up a fresh towel. Yohei poked his left foot out of the tub, and Gojyo dried it off. "Take my hand." He held his hand out, and pulled Yohei onto the floor, then dried the rest of him. "Okay, now do the same as I told Eiji." Yohei pushed the towel from his chest up over his head, then went to drain the tub. However, when he reached the boys' bedroom, they were instead jumping on their crib mattress and laughing, still undressed with their towels abandoned on the floor. Gojyo couldn't be mad. "After all," he laughed to himself as he rubbed his forehead. "I didn't tell them how long to wait."

After a few months without it and gauging all this progress for himself, Gojyo found the baby book buried under his floral design books. He quickly started reviewing the milestones listed in the index over breakfast one warm August morning.

"Walkin' and climbin', check!" He chirped as he watched the boys toddling in their playroom. Sanzo continued to sip his tea quietly. "Building hand skills, check!" He grinned, watching Yohei grasp a building block. "Heck, I know Eiji can hold a crayon, he loves coloring! And their block towers are like the best in the world!"

"And they're getting smarter, too," Sanzo added, as Eiji grabbed the block from Yohei.

"Mine!" Yohei tugged the block back away from him.

"No, mine!" Eiji stomped his feet. "Share!"

"See, they're learning new words." Sanzo took another sip of his tea, anticipating stepping in but not yet moving to do so.

"Rotten bastards." Gojyo flipped his way down the milestone list.

"They'd best not learn that one anytime soon," Sanzo rebuked with a sharp glare.

"Still, we got one we still gotta work on." He pointed at the last one on the list. "Toilet training."

"Is it that time already?" Sanzo looked at the twins, who had begun to tug on either side of the toy. "They still seem young."

"Well, according to the book, you're supposed to potty train during the summer closest to when they hit two."

"That's an odd benchmark."

"S'just 'cause it's easiest when it's hot." Gojyo chuckled, and flipped through the potty-training section, while ignoring the noise that sounded from the other room as both boys began to scream at each other. "I'll start up next week."

"If you're certain." Sanzo shrugged and stepped in to separate the feuding twins.

"Worth a try, right? 'Sides, sooner we start, sooner we can start screwing up and fixing it!" Gojyo grinned and tapped his heels against the floor. "Yup, me and Hakkai will get the potties and start next Monday!"

Monday arrived, and Gojyo had made his preparations. Sanzo hadn't stayed the previous night, citing that the temple had asked him to help with some cleaning, but Gojyo had made his decision and didn't want to delay. The August sun already sweltered outside, though it was still early, when Gojyo faced the boys in the playroom, who stood side by side with their thumbs in their mouths. Hakkai watched, amused, from the kitchen table, while pretending to read the newspaper. "Okay boys, let's talk." He paused, as Eiji switched thumbs. "Right, well, you can't talk much, but you can listen, so you better." He smirked, folding his arms like a stern general facing his troops. "We're going to spend the next few days learnin' how to be a man!"

"Man!" Yohei agreed.

"That's right! You two are gonna be men!" Gojyo grinned proudly- so they did know that word! "You know what men do, right?" He flexed his muscle and polished his bicep. "Men are strong! Men can lift heavy stuff and reach high shelves real easy!" He demonstrated by lifting their toy box over his head. "See, can you guys do that?" He set it down in front of them, and both boys gawked. Eiji tried to lift it up, but only managed to knock the lid off.

"N-no!" Eiji whined, and stubbornly shoved his thumb back into his mouth.

"Wow, stron', stron'!" Yohei clapped his hands excitedly.

"That's right! And men impress ladies. Right, Uncle Ha?" He looked over his shoulder, where Hakkai stifled a giggle into his palm.

"Oh, yes. Ladies are very impressed. And trust me, you'll want to impress ladies someday." His breath hitched on another giggle. "Much like your Daddy."

"Shut up," Gojyo groused through a smile. "Ladies love me. Now, the best part-" he crouched down, beckoning the boys conspiratorially closer, and whispered, "Men can pee almost _anywhere_." The boys looked confused. "Yeah, when you're a man, you can make a one anywhere you like as long as you can hide it from girls! As long as you got a river, or a tree, or a bush, or a hole, you don't have to pee in your diapers." He grinned. "But since you're still learnin' to be men, you gotta use the toilet."

"Toy..."

"Let?" Eiji and Yohei both cocked their heads.

"Yeah. Wanna start bein' a man and usin' the toilet?" Gojyo tempted, as though it were some deep, dark secret. Both boys squealed eagerly.

"I wanna do!" Yohei bounced up and down on the balls of his feet.

"Yeah, wanna let!" Eiji chimed in.

"Awright, then follow Daddy!" He marched them to the bathroom, kicking a rubber duck out of the way as he went. "See, ain't you ever been curious about that thing?" He pointed at the toilet.

"Boats go!" Eiji replied eagerly.

"Boats, huh?" Gojyo felt a sinking feeling, and chuckled weakly. "No, boats never go there ever again." He pointed at the bowl. "That's where pee and stuff goes. Then, we pull the handle and it goes away forever!" The boys looked confused again, brows knit, and Gojyo closed the bathroom door. "Watch Daddy, he'll demonstrate."

Hakkai strained his ears to listen as Gojyo talked them through the "demonstration." He heard the toilet flush, and the boys exploded with questions, mystified by the swirling water.

"Where's it go?" Yohei waved his hands at the water.

"How's it do 'at?" Eiji gasped and reached for the handle. "I wanna do!"

"No, I wanna do!" Yohei pushed Eiji away.

"Stop that! You both get a turn!" Gojyo picked Yohei up and set him aside. "If we're gonna do this, you might have some trouble reaching, so me and Uncle Ha got you a step." He pulled a little blue step stool from under the sink and planted it in front of the toilet. "Yohei, you're older, so you go first." Gojyo let Yohei step to the stool and held Eiji back, crouched behind him and wrapping his arms around his chest.

Yohei took the two little steps up, and stared, daunted, at the toilet. He stared down into the bowl, over to Gojyo, back to the bowl, then yanked the handle. He laughed and clapped as the water drained again, and Gojyo slapped his palm to his forehead. "Try again, like Daddy did it." He yanked down Yohei's pants and stepped back again.

Hakkai listened again for the sound of water trickling into water, and then the toilet gurgled as it flushed again. "Alright, attaboy!" Gojyo patted Yohei on the back and released Eiji. "Now, we wash hands like we do for dinner time, and-"

"I pee too!" Eiji abruptly announced, and Gojyo groaned.

"Eiji, you gotta save it for the toilet!"

Five minutes later, after cleaning Eiji up, Gojyo changed both boys into long tunics and no shorts. "Now you know how the toilet works, so Daddy's gonna run down the game plan." He crouched near the boys, pulling them in from their bedroom door. "We put potties in every room in the house, and down in your playpen too. See?" He gestured to where he'd planted a little blue and green training pot next to their changing table. "Follow me, I'll show you." He stood, and led an odd little parade through the house, first to the den- "See, here next to the toy box-" then through the kitchen and around Hakkai- "Here, by the sink-" then back down the hall to his own bedroom- "And by Daddy's bed. Just in case." He grinned and faced them again. "So, since you don't have any diapers on anymore, if you pee, it's gonna go all over your legs. And you guys don't like having pee on your legs. It's gonna suck." He smirked, and revealed the last point of his devious plot: "So, until you learn to go in the potty or on the toilet, you don't get pants. If you gotta pee, it goes in the potty or all over you."

"What two?" Eiji asked.

"Yeah, two, two!" Yohei chimed in, holding up two fingers.

"Oh yeah, number two," Gojyo recalled sheepishly. "Uh, that one's a little different." He rested his hand on his forehead. "Can't believe I skipped that part. Uh, for two, you sit on the seat. That's why it's shaped like that." He scratched the back of his head. "Daddy'll show you how to sit."

Sanzo opened the door to the house at almost the exact wrong moment, to hear, "See, this is how girls do it!" He tossed his sandals off and rushed past Hakkai without so much as a 'What the hell is going on here?' to the washroom, where Gojyo had planted Eiji on the toilet seat and was holding Yohei back. Gojyo grinned nervously back as Sanzo's nostrils flared and his brow unwrinkled.

"This is exactly what it looks like."

"Gotta two!" Yohei wormed his way out of Gojyo's grasp towards the toilet.

"Yohei, wait for Eiji to be done!" Gojyo groaned, holding him back.

"No, wanna go!" Yohei shoved Eiji off the seat. Eiji wailed and reached for Yohei's hair, but Sanzo snapped him up off the ground, and Gojyo set Yohei properly on the seat.

"You guys are both bein' brats." Gojyo's lips pursed. Sanzo snorted, watching with even, unamused eyes.

"You started without me?"

"Well, figure I'd get them started after their first change of the day. Didn't wanna just throw it at 'em, after all, but they're fresh and awake now."

"I suppose you did say you'd be doing it today," Sanzo muttered under his breath. "It must have slipped my mind." He shuffled his feet; his socks slid on the tile.

"Yeah, it's okay. You're pretty tough to hold on to anyway." Gojyo grinned toothily, and Sanzo rolled his eyes. "But yeah, every man's gotta learn to use the toilet sometimes. Otherwise, ladies will think he's gross. Right, Ei?" Gojyo smiled down at the toddler, who still sulked in Sanzo's arms.

"Done, Daddy!" Yohei jumped off the toilet, and Gojyo and Sanzo both checked. Sanzo wrinkled his nose up, but Gojyo grinned.

"Yup. Good job! High five!" He clapped his hand against Yohei's, then stood him up to wash both of their hands. "Let Eiji flush, he hasn't done it yet." Sanzo didn't question this directive and set Eiji down. Eiji bounded to the toilet and pulled the handle, and both twins erupted in squeals and laughter as the water swirled down the pipe again. Sanzo didn't quite realize he was smiling as he knelt down and mussed Eiji's hair.

"Nicely done." He scooped Eiji up again, and noticed something. "So, where are their pants?"

"Oh, that's the best part!" Gojyo beamed. He was still squirting soap onto his and Yohei's hands. "No pants until they're using the potty, every single time." Gojyo grinned, but Sanzo was less than amused.

"This sounds like a terrible idea."

"Nah, it was in the book. Hakkai looked at a few other books, too. We're supposed to stop cold turkey. See, these guys are smarter than we give 'em credit for." He dried his hands first, then Yohei's. "They don't wanna piss on themselves, so they'll learn to hold it until they get to a potty. There's like five around, so they can't fail. We'll just have to hang around with them until they get it down cold." He smirked impishly and set Yohei loose. "Plus, I just might hang out with no pants on just to fit it." Sanzo groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, but Eiji giggled and tugged his sleeve.

"Papa no pants too?" He asked with a wide, tooth-filled smile. Sanzo stared blankly at him, not quite sure what to say.

"You-" he finally responded, and tapped Eiji's nose- "Are getting to be far, far too much like your Daddy."

* * *

That night, when Sanzo put the boys down to bed, he decided to take his own first steps towards making them men. He set them in their crib as he gathered his thoughts, and they were still standing and facing him as they waited for their bedtime story.

"Before our story, I want to tell you a few things." He did not like starting conversations, but he knew they were incapable of doing so. He rested his hand on the edge of the crib. "You're growing up, you're getting bigger, and you'll soon find your way into trouble. Y-your Papa-" he stopped, biting his lip, then continued, "Your Papa wants you to stay safe, so I want you to know about something that will hurt you a lot." He reached into his sleeve and pulled out his pistol. "This is Papa's gun." Both boys leaned closer, but he kept it out of their grasp. "It... it goes everywhere with Papa. It's always close to me, because it makes me feel safe, but this is a weapon." He paused, and simplified, "It's something that's only good to hurt people."

"Why you got it?" Eiji squinted at Sanzo. Sanzo hadn't expected this, and lowered his eyes. He had decided to be honest, and he had to stick to that.

"Because it makes me feel safe. There was a time when I had to worry about being hurt, about people hurting me, so I used it to hurt them back and keep myself safe." He sighed, and met their eyes again. "Now, I worry that someone out there might try to hurt you, so I keep it with me just to be sure. But boys, please-" He put the gun down on the floor in front of him and took their hands through the bars. "Never. Ever. Ever. Ever. Ever. Touch." He released them and put the gun away. "The gun doesn't care who it hurts, and I never want it to hurt you. I love you both too much to even think of it." He sighed heavily, and stood up. "Any questions?"

"I see?" Yohei held his hands out. Sanzo bit his lip, but Gojyo chuckled from behind him, where he'd leaned into the doorway.

"Let them take a closer look. No touch, look only." Sanzo wasn't sure when Gojyo had come back in, and sighed deeply as he took out his gun again. "Safety's on, right?" Gojyo pushed himself off the doorjamb, shuffled closer, and slung himself over the end of the crib.

"Haven't taken it off for more than eighteen months," Sanzo muttered, and held the gun out into the crib, pointing the handle towards the boys and the shaft at himself. "Don't touch."

"He doesn't even let Daddy touch it." Gojyo grinned and tiptoed his fingers up Sanzo's shoulder. "He'll let me touch anything else-"

"Shh." Sanzo's eyes flashed up to Gojyo, as the boys continued to gawk over the shiny black metal. "That's enough." He put the gun back away. "Now, if you see it, what do you not do?"

"Don't touch." Eiji sounded bored, though still fixated on the gun and gripping the bars of the crib.

"Wanna story now." Yohei took hold of Sanzo's sleeve. "Please?"

Sanzo laughed quietly, in a tone that would have sounded sinister to anyone else. Gojyo grinned eagerly and took a storybook from the shelf. "You guys ain't man enough to take stuff seriously. You'll get it someday," he snickered aloud. Sanzo didn't mind, and Gojyo passed the book to him. Sanzo pulled the rocking chair around, and flipped the book open. Gojyo wrapped his arms around Sanzo's neck from behind.

It was this that reassured Sanzo that they weren't quite men yet. Men didn't need storybooks, nor to be tucked in, nor did they sleep in bed with their dads when it stormed, and that was good enough for now. However, the more he thought about it, the more he had to worry- what sort of men would they be? He hoped upon hope that they wouldn't be men like him.

* * *

**End Notes:** Cute times? Check. Funny times? Check. Little bit of serious times? Check. I actually feel good about this one!

Next time... October is coming, for the second time in the boys' lives, and you all know what that means.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Leave a review!


	11. Look Ma, No Hands!

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author Notes:** Man, this one came down to the wire. This chapter is a little short, but only because I had too much material planned and couldn't figure out a good way to work it all in and make it make sense without making this chapter 30 pages. So I had to find a stopping point... and then I did. Hopefully the seams don't show too much!

Review responses!

Dragon77- Oh yeah, Gojyo would be VERY concerned that his boys would not be manly enough. He's probably terrified they'll be confused when they realize they actually have two daddies and want to get boyfriends and try the same thing. "No, no, guys, it doesn't normally work that way!"

RodiSquall- Learning to write with the number one? Let's hope Sanzo nips that right in the bud! I imagine it'd be harder to write Chinese like that, so hopefully it won't be an issue! And of course Sanzo would explain why he carries the gun- he wants to be honest with them, after all, just not too honest with toddlers.

KakashiisWifey- Me? Top 5? Wow, you flatter me! I have been trying to do some different things with the story, and I hope it shows. But thank you for your kind words! (Just don't stop reading because you're satisfied- there's more good stuff to come!)

**Disclaimer: Nnnnnnnope. Still not mine.**

* * *

**10: Look Ma, No Hands!**

It did not start on their second birthday. It was not as though a magic switch had flipped once the candles on the cake were blown out, and the boys had suddenly become brats on their second birthday. Sanzo should have seen it coming- he knew the boys pushed and shoved and pulled hair sometimes. Gojyo separated them and made them stand apart for a few minutes to calm down, but the incidents kept getting bigger and worse. Of course, the incidents soon were not limited to being between the boys.

A few weeks after potty-training was done, Sanzo started hearing "I wanna do it" and "Let me do it" and "Stop, I'm'a do it" every time he and Gojyo tried to get on with their daily routine. Getting dressed in the morning, Eiji shoved his hands away.

"I do it myself!" He yanked the sweater from Sanzo, stomping his little feet, and started forcing himself into the sweater. Sanzo had to intervene after he got his arms and head stuck in his sleeves, but he screamed when he was finally dressed.

"No, me!" Yohei snapped when Gojyo cut up his scrambled eggs, swiping the fork from him and roughly mashing the eggs into paste. Gojyo rested his chin in his hand and watched, ignoring the flecks of egg splattering onto his shirt.

"Ya done, kid?" He tried to take the fork back.

"Nooooo!" Yohei gripped it until Gojyo finally wrenched it from his clumsy grasp, at which point Yohei started wailing. On the other side of the table, Eiji had started throwing eggs at Sanzo in frustration at not being allowed to feed himself.

Meal time, bath time, even bed time, every little directive was a declaration of war. Playtime was probably the worst, to the point where the best time of the day had become the most dreaded. It was unpleasant, to say the least, for whichever parent was supervising- the boys had ceased to share their toys, neither with each other nor them. However, loud arguments and throwing were common. Gojyo couldn't even tell what they were arguing about, which Hakkai found delightful; "Why, they've come up with their own language!" He clapped his hands together and beamed. "I've heard twins can do that. How precious is that?" Gojyo drummed his fingers on his work desk, glaring into the playpen.

"They better start speakin' this language real goddamn fast, because if I'm gonna listen to two assholes argue, I'm gonna get some fuckin' gossip out of it."

"Let's hope it's not that language." Hakkai giggled, and Gojyo rolled his eyes and got between the toy-throwing warriors.

Tantrums, too, had become the daily norm, and it always seemed to be over the smallest of things. The first major one, however, was on October 11th. The family had celebrated their second birthday at the house, and it had been going well. Their big gift, a combined effort from all four adults, went over well- both boys were excited to sleep in separate "big kid" beds, and Gojyo had even gotten distinct bedding for each of them- white with blue pinstripes for Yohei, and blue with white clouds for Eiji. After a meal of super-long noodles in chicken broth, which the boys had consumed with lots of slurping, approval and encouragement from Goku, and a humiliated sigh from Sanzo, it came time to cut the cake. They blew out the candles with no incident (and no help from Gojyo) and Hakkai sliced the cake into neat little slivers.

"Who wants first?" He held up the first plate. Yohei reached for it, and Eiji lifted his hand.

"Please!" Eiji grinned a wide grin, showing off his teeth, and Hakkai giggled.

"What manners. Here you are." As the plate hit the table in front of Eiji, Yohei's little mouth fell open. Before Hakkai could serve him a slice, he yanked the plate away from Eiji and before any of the adults could stop him, threw it on the ground. The plate shattered with a tinkling, resounding clatter. Sanzo immediately lunged for Yohei like a policeman jumping on a red-handed thief, and Eiji jumped off his chair after his cake.

"No, kiddo, it's dirty." Gojyo knelt beside Eiji to pick him and the broken pieces of plate off the floor, but Eiji wriggled away to try and pick up the cake crumbs. Then, the tears started. "Oh, no..."

Sanzo had wrestled Yohei into the corner, but Yohei kept trying to get loose and get to Eiji. Eiji started to sob and scream and threw himself onto the floor. Yohei hurled his body at the wall over and over, screeching and pounding his fists. Sanzo growled and started to restrain him; "Why are you upset, you started this!" He tried to pin him down, scowling even as Yohei screamed back at him, as Goku joined Gojyo in trying to keep Eiji still.

"Calm down, buddy! There's more cake!" Goku tried to pat Eiji on the back while Gojyo used his hand to shield Eiji's head from banging against the floor.

"Bro, a hand here?" Gojyo looked to Hakkai, who had remained still, a plate of cake still balanced on one hand, his smiling mask still present. Hakkai calmly set the cake down, then vaulted the table and grabbed all three adults by the backs of their clothes and yanked them away from the children and out of the room. He shoved them all in the bathroom and shut the door in their faces, leaving all three mute with shock.

"Hey, asshole, what the hell?!" Gojyo was the first to find the presence to speak. He tried to open the door, but Hakkai was holding it shut from the outside.

"Let us out." Sanzo's shoulders were rigid, fingers twitching, as he tried to push the door open alongside Gojyo. Hakkai didn't respond from the other side, and both parents gaped, catching their breath, listening to both children scream. Goku was gobsmacked.

"He's keeping us away from them?" Goku looked at both Sanzo and Gojyo, who were slowly turning more and more red, and both kept shouting and calling to Hakkai:

"Let us out, you asshole! Those are my goddamn kids!"

"Hakkai, I will not ask again."

"They're in pain! What the hell are you doing?!"

"You need to let us help them."

All of it received no response, even as Gojyo raged and Sanzo's clenched fists lost color completely. And yet, the sound soon quieted- Yohei had stopped. Eiji silenced a moment later, and Hakkai opened the bathroom door.

"Let them sit in the corner for two minutes a piece." His smile didn't even flinch when Sanzo rushed out the door and grabbed Hakkai by the front of his shirt.

"Never do that again," he growled, before releasing Hakkai and storming towards the stairs, up towards the rooftop. Goku gave chase, barely turning to look quizzically at Hakkai before following him up. Gojyo stepped out to examine the damage. Yohei was sitting and sniffling quietly in the kitchen corner, and Eiji was in the corner of the playroom, thumb firmly in his mouth and cheeks still bright red.

"How did you calm them down? What did you do?" Gojyo folded his arms and scowled, but Hakkai just patted his back.

"Nothing." He maintained his usual oblivious smile and returned to the table. "We can give them cake once you tell them they have to wait turns." He sliced two more pieces of cake and set them at their places, and held another out to Gojyo. "Welcome to two, my friend."

* * *

The next day, their next tantrum wasn't resolved nearly so easily. It started over something simple: the stacking blocks, their favorite toy. The boys had always had their little arguments here and there over who had how many, or when one got his tower higher than the others. As they'd matured, Gojyo had noticed that Eiji had made his base structures more complex, using more supports, while Yohei had started to work faster to get his taller. This diversion in tactics resulted in the two of them each wanting more blocks from the other, and for opposite reasons.

"Gimme, you waste 'em!" Yohei started to reach for Eiji's blocks, but Eiji whined and pushed him back. Gojyo turned away from his desk for a moment, as Sanzo put down his newspaper and vacated his seat into the playpen.

"Boys, we share." Sanzo separated them with his hands, knuckles already white with anticipation.

"Mine, mine! Give 'em!" Yohei lunged past Sanzo's hand, sliding on the carpet and toppling Eiji's tower. Eiji screamed and threw himself into Sanzo's arms, and Gojyo stepped in to remove Yohei. As he did so, Yohei's unsteady tower crumbled, and a small grenade may as well have exploded in Yohei's head. Yohei thrust his arms and legs out like an octopus and writhed to get loose, screeching and thrusting his way out of Gojyo's hold on him with all of his two-year-old might. Gojyo lost his grip and dropped him, stumbling over him, but he didn't even notice- it seemed that when on a rampage, he was invulnerable to pain. The furniture, however, was not, as Yohei raged and pitched himself at Gojyo's table, knocking over the flowers on the stand and sending the vase crashing to the ground.

"Yohei, no!" Gojyo scooped him up and tried to restrain him again, but he just screamed louder and flailed at Gojyo's face. Eiji cowered against Sanzo's leg, and Gojyo hauled Yohei from the room. The customers and Hakkai all turned their heads as he dragged Yohei through the store and up the stairs. Hakkai watched, then looked back at the customer he'd been speaking to.

"Seems our floral designer is out at the moment." He smiled, ignoring the whirlwind that had roared through.

Sanzo could hear half of what was going on over his head, and it wasn't pretty. He could hear Gojyo's soothing pleas: "Calm down, kiddo, please, calm down..." He could hear the walls rattling, could hear things being thrown, could hear the screams. He heard Gojyo start to wear thin: "Come on, you're hurting yourself!" Finally, after nearly an hour, there was quiet. After listening for a few minutes to ensure the storm was over, he lifted Eiji from the playpen and moved him to sit on the counter next to Hakkai.

"I'm going to check on them. Watch him." He smoothed Eiji's hair down, and made his way up the steps into the apartment. Gojyo was sitting in front of the den couch, and Yohei was fast asleep across it. Gojyo was slumped over, physically, mentally, emotionally drained, head in his hands and slowly nodding from side to side like a shell-shocked warrior.

"He screamed himself to sleep." Gojyo couldn't bring himself to look up at Sanzo. "He just... wore out, and he just sorta... fell asleep." Sanzo knelt next to Yohei, moving the hair from his face. His cheeks and lips were still red, the hollow under his eyes still puffy. His breathing was ragged, more than likely from a raw throat. "We can't do this." Gojyo buried his hands in his hair. Sanzo sighed, and picked Yohei up.

"I think they needed a nap anyway. I'll get Eiji in a moment. Compose yourself." He turned on his heel to take him to his bedroom, and Gojyo finally pulled his eyes away from the floor.

"You ain't got anythin' to say to that? You just gonna ignore it?" Sanzo paused midstep, then let his foot touch ground and continued on his way. Gojyo groaned, and folded his arms around his head.

"Three hundred and sixty four days 'til they're three..."

* * *

Every time Gojyo asked Hakkai how to halt a tantrum, Hakkai shrugged. "There's no secret to it. Nothing. It's nothing at all."

"I swear to god, man, I'm gonna snap." Gojyo ran his fingers through his hair a few times, then glanced over his shoulder into the boys' bedroom. Hakkai beckoned him away; perhaps the hallway wasn't the best place for this conversation. It was late, and they had just gotten the boys to sleep. Sanzo had promptly excused himself for a cigarette, and after a week of daily tantrums, Gojyo was feeling the ache for a few extra smokes an hour. He cracked the kitchen window as he reached it, and lit up. "I'm gonna break, I swear."

"What do you mean?" Hakkai opened the refrigerator and pulled out a can of beer and a bottle of sake. He slid the beer can down the counter to Gojyo and poured himself a shot of sake.

"I mean, I'm just fuckin' terrified that I'm going to lose my temper." He inhaled the smoke deeply, and cracked the can open with a satisfying hiss. "I'm going to stop feeling bad about them bein' upset, and start yelling at them. Worse-" He looked at his hand, and clenched his fist. Hakkai's smile subdued, but his eyes remained sympathetic.

"You'll be comforted to know you're not the first father to fear this feeling." He moved down the counter and stood at Gojyo's side, gazing out the window at the pale autumn moon. "It's common for children of abuse to abuse their own children, or to feel the urge to-"

"Fuck, man, that's the last fuckin' thing I need to hear!" Gojyo pushed himself off the counter and started to pace a short circle near the table. "I wasn't abused- my stepmom tried to kill me. There's a differ-"

"She did more than that. Didn't she hit you when you acted out- or, anytime, really?" Hakkai's eyes and voice remained soft, almost somber. "Those marks on your face are evidence enough- and the scars on the rest of you. Isn't that something you were terrified of while you were carrying them?" Gojyo swallowed hard, stumbling in his pace- he wasn't sure he'd ever mentioned this worry to Hakkai. "You're justified to be scared- you, consciously, know better, but your subconscious is tied to your childhood instinct of 'the adults are doing it, so it's okay.' There are lots of reasons you can rationalize it, really." Gojyo huffed and lit another cigarette.

"You ain't helpin'. You're tellin' me reasons it's okay."

"That's not at all my intention." Hakkai leaned back against the wall as Gojyo continued to pace, half-stomping, as though he were trying to wear out the floor. "I'm telling you reasons your mind might think it's okay. You have to be conscious of it and deliberately tell yourself-" At this, he blocked Gojyo's path and seized his shoulders. "I will not hit my children." Gojyo, surprised, scowled and wound back his fist, and Hakkai added, "Or my friend." Gojyo broke and pulled away from Hakkai, and scoffed into his cigarette.

"Yeah, okay."

"Think of it this way- do you remember how terrified you were when your stepmother tried to kill you?" Gojyo glowered at Hakkai as he said this.

"You think I'd fuckin' forget?" He impatiently tapped his foot against the tiles.

"No, which is why I ask. Just know, the first time you raise your hand against them, that is exactly how they will feel. You will see the terror on their faces, and you will know that you are the one making them feel that way. And you," he paused and looked Gojyo in the face with all the seriousness and severity of a doctor making his prognosis, "Will have become that which you feared, hated, and ran from."

Gojyo inhaled deeply and put his cigarette out. "Shit." He exhaled a deep sigh, and leaned against the counter again. Sanzo entered from the hallway, and Gojyo finished his beer, then swiped the untouched sake from Hakkai's hand and guzzled that too. "Good talk. So, no tips on stopping the tantrums?"

"I told you- there's no secret to it. You really do just have to let them run their course." Hakkai's smile crept back up his cheeks as he went to pour himself another sake.

"Hrmph." Sanzo took the cup from Hakkai as soon as he'd filled it. Hakkai giggled and brought out another cup.

"Three hundred and fifty-six days, right?" He raised his cup to Gojyo and Sanzo, who groaned and sighed respectively. "Get Goku, let's try not to worry for a little while, yes? I'll break out the Mahjong set."

"I can't." Sanzo looked away. Goku approached from behind him, tromping down the stairs until Sanzo glared at him and he softened his step. Sanzo faced Gojyo and Hakkai again. "I'm not sure if you've heard, but there's been an outbreak of pneumonic plague."

"What? No." Hakkai's voice softened, as though it were a forbidden subject.

"Pneumatic what now?" Gojyo frowned and leaned towards Sanzo. Hakkai covered his mouth, eyes wide.

"Pneumonic plague," he whispered. "It's a lung infection- incredibly serious- it kills nearly everyone who catches it within a day or two, four at the most."

"Fuck." Gojyo staggered a step back, and Goku whimpered.

"I bet it's worse for babies." Goku cringed, eyes darting over his shoulder to the boys' bedroom. Sanzo sighed and paced a few steps forward into the kitchen.

"I meant to mention it this morning, but I didn't want to frighten the children." He folded his hands in his sleeves. "Six houses have been quarantined already. Dozens more are surely coming. More than that, there's other things going around right now- cholera, pertussis- I even heard rumors of leprosy."

"Why now, of all times?" Hakkai put the sake bottle away, too distracted to drink.

"Probably 'cause so many people are coming to the city looking for jobs." Goku looked at his feet. "And then people are coming for the registration, too-"

"Registration's been delayed, we probably won't have it until the outbreak's died down." Sanzo's eyes were stern as his stare silenced Goku. "But idle talk won't do. All I know is that rather than running youkai registration, we at the temple are expected to collect and distribute supplies for the quarantined homes, prepare for further quarantine, and dispose of the dead." Gojyo shuddered, but Sanzo looked to him and Hakkai. "I... I may need your help. Is there any way you can assure me a steady supply of white chrysanthemums for the next two months?"

"Why those?" Gojyo asked, as Hakkai made a note of it. Sanzo's lips thinned, and he drummed his fingers on the table anxiously.

"They're the most common request for funeral bouquets."

"It'll be fine." Hakkai pinned the note to the refrigerator. "They grow all year around here, and especially well in greenhouses. We'll have them, on demand, by the bushel."

"Thank you." Sanzo bowed his head. "I may be scarce over the next few weeks, but with luck I should be able to come in the evenings. I'm certain you can manage without me." He moved towards Gojyo, then turned his eyes between Hakkai and Goku. Hakkai seemed to understand, and took hold of Goku's sleeve.

"Let's go say goodnight to the children, before you have to go." He smiled, but Goku seemed confused.

"Together?" He looked at Sanzo, who'd taken another step towards Gojyo, and his eyes lit. "Ohhh." He let Hakkai drag him away.

Sanzo couldn't look Gojyo in the eye, tented his fingers, as Gojyo leaned against the counter. "It's been rough, the past week." Sanzo interlaced and unlocked his fingers a few times.

"Yeah. We're holding up, though." Gojyo smiled, offering a hollow reassurance that Sanzo brushed off.

"It will be difficult without me. I'll try to send Goku to help." Sanzo tapped his fingernails together. "You'll..."

"Miss you like hell." Gojyo smiled, and put his hand over Sanzo's.

"You'll be okay." Sanzo leaned closer, and Gojyo pulled him into an embrace. They breathed each other deeply, the smoke on their clothes intermingling and clashing, but neither cared. Sanzo broke away after a minute.

"Love you." Gojyo smirked, and Sanzo nodded. He pulled back, and turned towards the door.

"Goku, we're leaving." He only raised his voice a little, but Goku heard and came running.

"Bye guys!" He grinned, as Hakkai emerged from the hallway. Gojyo waved them out, and Hakkai locked the door behind them. Hakkai sighed, seeming to push out all his worries in one breath.

"I suppose we two can play Mahjong, then."

"We'll teach the boys soon. That way, we'll always be able to get four players." Gojyo swallowed his nerves and left the kitchen for the den. Neither of them wanted to talk about all that hung over them- only to be sure neither started counting tiles.

* * *

Parenting without Sanzo's help was not an easy prospect. There was a bit of good fortune, however, as Goku arrived at the shop an hour before it opened the next morning, tapping on the door until he was heard, and Hakkai opened it to greet him.

"Everyone says I'm in the way," he explained, shuffling his feet against the stoop. "Can I come in and play with the babies?"

Goku was not an apt substitute for Sanzo. This was not to say he was bad at what he did- he could play with the boys tirelessly, and his endless patience with them kept them calm. However, he was very bad at saying "no." As such, when Gojyo told Goku to get them some lunch, he wasn't surprised that the boys had "helped" and Goku had loaded up with apples and a stack of cookies. He didn't even have the energy to argue, either- it was easier than starting three tantrums.

Goku also didn't know their schedule quite as well as Sanzo did, and he got confused when they started to tire out. "I thought you guys had all the energy in the world! Come on, I wanna race again!" Goku slapped his knees, and pointed. "One more time, six up and down the stairs, let's go, let's go!" Both boys moaned and collapsed onto the floor on the bottom landing.

"Ukiyo-weh mana mana des, nara?" Yohei looked to Eiji, rubbing his eyes. Hakkai peeked around the corner, hiding a giggle- their twin language was endearing, even if he didn't understand a word of it. Eiji yawned.

"Atsa mana mana Cuz boh-ro." Eiji put his head on the floor, sighing.

"Aww, come on!" Goku stomped back down the stairs, putting his hands on his hips and towering over them. "Mana ukiyo, dow dow!" He held up the V-for-victory. "One more time!"

"You know what they're saying, Goku?" Hakkai frowned. Gojyo seemed to hear this as well, looking out of his work room.

"Yeah, sure!" Goku grinned. "You mean you don't?"

"Guess it takes an animal to know one," Goku chuckled as he approached, and picked up both boys by their collars. They dangled loose in his hands, and clung to the side of his shirt. "Goku, they need to sleep. When they stop moving, they need to start sleeping."

"Aw, come on! Sleep is so bor-" Goku's eyes suddenly dulled, half-shut, and he collapsed against the wall. Gojyo managed to catch him on his knee before he could slide the rest of the way down the stairs.

"Yeah, you're one to talk. Everybody, nap time." He swung his knee around to deposit Goku on the lower landing, leaving him there while he carried the boys up the stairs.

That was the other problem- Goku's narcolepsy, while less common than it had been, struck at random times. Hakkai had tried examining his chi while he was unconscious, but could only discern that his chi was at almost zero. "It's like he's just been taken away," Hakkai had reported, leaving Gojyo puzzling over it. While there was little they could do for him, Gojyo had to deal with it as an inconvenience. If Goku was knocked out and Hakkai was busy or out picking up flowers from the farms on the outskirts of town, then Gojyo didn't have backup.

He still hadn't figured out how to calm the children down. Hakkai knew how to do it, but he would always remove Gojyo from the room, and no matter how Gojyo listened, he couldn't hear anything. He kept trying to just let the boys peter themselves out, tried to comfort them, tried to get them to see reason, but it never worked. He had no idea how many times he'd had to say the words, "Please calm down," no idea how many times he'd been hit and kicked and screamed at. Sanzo, when he was there, was less than helpful.

"I don't know what you want me to do," Sanzo had responded after Gojyo had complained about another long day. It was already past midnight on a Tuesday ten days after the plague outbreak had taken hold. As late as it was, it was the earliest Sanzo had managed to get the day's business finished, and Gojyo had barely had time to say 'hello' before launching into his story, as he knew Sanzo would and could only stay a few minutes. "At this point, punishing them is pointless- they're already asleep."

"I dunno, I just need to get it out of my system." Gojyo wrung his hands in his hair, and Sanzo sighed and folded his arms.

"Today, a family lost three of their children, two adolescent daughters and a toddler son. They could not attend the ceremony, as they were still quarantined with their last child holding on. I watched those funerary fires." Sanzo lowered his eyes, looking out the window to the street in front of the house. Gojyo hadn't even noticed that the house directly across the street had been covered in yellow quarantine tape and white signs warning of the danger within. "Be thankful for what we have now, and don't dwell on the difficulties."

With Sanzo's pale reassurance, Gojyo tried to push forward, but a few minutes of affection and approval daily were not enough to stave off the frustration of dealing with the boys day in and day out. Hakkai may have been the best at dealing with them, but he had made it very clear:

"They're your children." Hakkai smiled as he cradled a previously-screaming Eiji to his chest. What had been chaos a mere moment earlier had been silenced after three minutes of Hakkai forcing Gojyo out of the room. "They must answer to you, not me. I'm only here to help."

Gojyo couldn't figure out Hakkai's magic touch. He also couldn't distance himself the way Sanzo could. After two weeks of this, he knew his cool was long gone and running on empty.

**(Suggested Track: "Space Lord," Monster Magnet)**

Going shopping, while never a comfortable experience for Gojyo, got even worse with a set of toddlers in tow, and it was here that he hit his breaking point. It was their first trip out alone since their second birthday, as Hakkai was out picking up their flowers. He tried to keep it simple- just a few essentials, in and out, no distractions. This was until it came time to get the boys ready to go. After a pair of tantrums, he had relented and allowed each of them to bring one toy- "And just one," he'd said while turning out their pockets and removing extra horses, resulting in another round of screaming- which kept them fairly calm on the walk to the market. Eiji kept his plush rabbit tucked in his mouth, as Yohei waved a dragon over his head, making whooshing and screeching noises while pointing the dragon at various objects and people. Gojyo could only hope that Yohei's enthusiasm didn't indicate a prevalence towards pyromania, but he did his best to dismiss it. However, the dragon was not enough to keep Yohei occupied when they reached the market and Gojyo started selecting vegetables.

"I help!" Yohei reached up for the table to grab one of the leeks near the edge. Gojyo caught his hand, inadvertently releasing Eiji's.

"No." Gojyo pushed his hand back. Yohei stomped his feet and whined, and Gojyo turned to him with the best stern look he could muster. "Don't touch."

"Wannit!" Yohei grabbed the leek again, but Gojyo moved the leek out of his reach. He looked up to the clerk with an apologetic smile, but Yohei started to screech. Gojyo yanked him away from the booth and crouched down to meet his eyes.

"Yohei, stop." He kept his voice low, but firm, and Yohei pressed his lips together. Gojyo clasped Yohei's hand tight in his, stood back up again, took a calming breath, and picked out a few leeks. He didn't notice that Eiji was not where he had been when Gojyo had gone to scold Yohei. Instead, he had wandered a few meters away, gazing at a stand of fruit and sucking intently on his rabbit's paw. Gojyo gathered his vegetables and moved to the fruit stall next, quickly taking hold of Eiji but releasing Yohei. "Kiddo, you gotta stay with Daddy!" He clenched his hand tight, even as Eiji whined and dragged his feet.

He had not noticed that Yohei had wandered towards the fishmonger's stall, nor that his dragon was going swimming in a tank of live fish. He didn't know the paint on the dragon wasn't waterproof. He only heard the peal of laughter, and the fish seller starting to yell: "Whose kid is this?!" Gojyo whirled on his heel, took only a second to gawk at the dark water in the tank. Yohei started to try and get his dragon back, thrusting his fingers at the glass, then started to scream when he realized he couldn't reach through.

"Oh crap, oh crap, oh crap." Gojyo dropped his bags and dug his fingers into his hair as he rushed across the aisle to grab Yohei. "I'm so sorry, he just got away from me!" Gojyo forced a smile, but the fishmonger gritted his teeth.

"I don't care, you need to keep control of your brats!" He pounded his fist on the top of the tank. "I can't sell these now. What're you gonna do about it?"

Yohei and Eiji were both screaming and yanking Gojyo in different directions as he hauled his bags of vegetables and freshly gutted, slightly discolored river perch on ice forward into the market. Gojyo was holding his tongue.

"Daddy, wanna go home!" Yohei squeezed his wrist.

"Bored!" Eiji chimed in, yanking on Gojyo's other sleeve. Gojyo no longer had any idea where Eiji's rabbit had gone, nor did he really care. He passed by a booth collecting funds and goods to be sent to quarantined families.

"Can you spare anything, sir?" The attendant asked, leaning over the desk. "Never know when your family might be next."

"Sure." Gojyo dropped the fish on the desk. "They're fresh and cleaned, so move 'em out quickly."

"Thanks, mister!" He grinned up at Gojyo, then down at the twins. "You guys are lucky, your daddy's nice! High five!" He extended his hand to Yohei, who clapped his palm against it and dodged back behind Gojyo. Eiji hid before the man could reach for him.

"Yeah, yeah, anytime," Gojyo sighed, and herded the twins away. He noticed Yohei rubbing his nose, and scrunched his face up- _Never know when your family might be next._ He took the boys over to a small fountain and rinsed off both of their hands. "Okay, one more stop, and them we go home."

He tried to take the boys towards the next stall, but Yohei planted his feet firm. "No!" He stomped his feet. "Goin' home!"

"Yohei, one more stop, then home." Gojyo tried to move forward. Eiji followed, but Yohei jerked his arm from Gojyo's grasp.

"No! No! No!" Yohei turned and started to go the other way, but Gojyo grabbed his shoulder and forced him in the direction he wanted to head. Yohei lashed out and bit Gojyo's finger. Gojyo yelped and drew his hand back, examining the wound- he'd drawn blood.

"Yohei, we are not doing this here." Gojyo was trying to keep calm, his shoulders drawn and stiff but his motions delicate. He pulled his sleeve over his finger and took hold of Yohei's hand, but Yohei screamed and pushed Gojyo. Taken off guard, Gojyo stumbled back into a canned sauce stall, rattling some of the jars on the table.

"Control your kid, asshole!" The vendor tried to keep his jars from falling, and Gojyo rolled back to his feet, no longer caring about the jars in his lap. He moved back towards Yohei and seized him by the front of his shirt. Eiji had started to cry, but Yohei was screaming in his twin language, waving his fists and stomping his feet. Gojyo was clenching his teeth and biting his lip, trying as hard as he could to block everything out. Ignore the people staring at him, ignore the sneers and jeers at his inept parenting. Ignore the crying, ignore the kicking, ignore the screaming...

Until Yohei started speaking normal words, words that Gojyo couldn't ignore: "I hate you! Hate you! Hate you! Hate hate hate hate hate!"

Gojyo didn't know when he let go of Eiji. He also didn't know when he'd wrestled Yohei down and pinned him with his elbow. He was only aware that his hand had formed into a fist and that it was landing against Yohei's cheek. He could feel the muscles and jawbone under his knuckles, and his gut dropped through the ground. He stopped after one hit, and the world seemed to stand still. Yohei cringed and whimpered, covering his face with his chubby hands and starting to cry. Gojyo could see the bruise- it was spreading across the whole side of his face. Gojyo felt an old pain welling up in his chest, and could see the fear in Yohei's eyes.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry." He scooped Yohei up and hugged him. Eiji had planted himself on the ground a few feet away, and he cringed when Gojyo reached for him. Gojyo forgot that he'd dropped his bags, but picked both of them up and cradled them to his chest. Yohei was trembling, and Eiji took his hand. "I'm so sorry," he mumbled, leaning his head to their ears. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." He didn't care about the groceries, nor the money he'd spent on them, nor the people who stared and whispered and pointed. He carried his boys home, not caring how heavy they were, nor how much his arms ached. He just kept reassuring them and himself: "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'll never do it again, I promise. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry..."

* * *

Hakkai arrived home to see takeout bowls left on the table, and the boys were running around and playing, screaming like banshees as Yohei chased Eiji around with dragon in hand, and Eiji trailed a plush sheep away. Gojyo was collapsed into the armchair, hands buried in his hair, jaw agape. Hakkai leaned close to him, studying his dilated pupils and the distant look in his eyes.

"You snapped, didn't you?" Hakkai got to his knees next to him.

"There's a bruise. I fuckin' hit him. I hit him hard. I'm a monster. I don't deserve them." Gojyo shook his head, fingernails imprinting little crescents into his scalp. "What the fuck do I do?"

"You step back, you calm down, and you learn your lesson." Hakkai watched the boys around Gojyo's elbow for a moment. He could see the bruise on Yohei's cheek- it was big, but it wasn't deep, nothing more than a red blotch that would be gone by morning. "He seems okay."

"He's scared of me! I pretty much put my fucking fist through his face!" Gojyo demonstrated, smacking his fist against his other palm, and buried his face in his hands again.

"It might have seemed harder at the moment, but I see no evidence that he's hurt." Hakkai patted Gojyo's arm, and beckoned Yohei from across the room. "Yohei, let Uncle see you." Yohei dropped his dragon and toddled over to Hakkai. Hakkai lifted his chin and turned his head, then pressed his finger on the bruise. "Does it hurt when I touch?"

"Uh-uh." Yohei shook his head, and Hakkai smiled and put his hands on his knees.

"Yohei is fine, right?"

"Uh-huh." Yohei looked up at Gojyo, then back to Hakkai. "Daddy okay?"

"Daddy's fine, as long as you're fine," Gojyo answered, and reached out to him. Yohei grinned and hunched his shoulders as he rested his hand on Yohei's head and shuffled the hair around, setting the part askew. Gojyo smiled, and took a deep, calming breath, and patted him on the back. "Go play." Yohei ran back off, to where Eiji had waited. "I learned my lesson. This shit ain't gonna happen, ever again."

"Everyone makes mistakes. You won't be doing that again." Hakkai sighed, satisfied, and the two adults sat back and watched the boys running around for a moment. Yohei skidded to a halt and coughed, covering his mouth with his hand, then tried to catch his breath. Eiji waited, whining in the boys' tongue and tugging on Yohei's sleeve.

"Sounds like you guys need a break." Gojyo got to his feet and clapped his hands. "Let's go get our bath on!"

"No, don'wanna!" Eiji whined back, even as Yohei toddled to Gojyo's side. Gojyo groaned, gearing up for another tantrum.

"If I might?" Hakkai stood up, then put his hand against Gojyo's ear. "Since you've had a rough day, I'll explain the real secret for calming the boys down- but this is for your ears only..."

* * *

Bath time went over as planned after employing Hakkai's 'secret', and Gojyo got the boys bathed and ready for bed the easiest he had in weeks. The boys listened to their story, laid down in their beds, and slept with little argument. Somehow, Gojyo felt a little better.

'Maybe, just maybe, things are gonna get better,' he decided, sitting back in the rocking chair and folding his hands behind his head as the boys fell asleep. 'Just gotta be better... And hands-free.' He looked at his hands, clenched and unclenched his fists, and got to his feet. 'Three-hundred and thirty-three days til they turn three.' He grinned, and made his way up to the roof for a cigarette.

When he got there, he discovered a small box, about the size of a book, wrapped sloppily in brown paper with crayon scribbles on it and left on the table beside the ashtray. "Ah, hell, what the hell did Goku leave up here now?" He wondered, scratching his head, and he took up the box. It wasn't very heavy, light for its size, and he shook it a few times. "The hell did this come from?"

"It's... your birthday." Gojyo jumped when he heard Sanzo's voice from the chair. He peeked over the edge of the chair facing the street, discovering Sanzo halfway through a cigarette. Sanzo looked up at him. "I asked Hakkai. It is today, isn't it?"

"Uh- yeah- the hell are you doing here?!" Gojyo threw his hands up. "How long have you been up here?"

"Two minutes. I saw you putting the boys down and didn't want to wake them." Sanzo finished his cigarette and looked back out at the city around them. "When we celebrated their birthday, I realized I'd never celebrated yours in, erm, four or five years... so..." He fell silent, and fidgeted with his fingers, and looked back at Gojyo. "So I got you something."

"Fuckin'... thanks." Gojyo sank to the chair, floored. "When is your birthday?"

"Never mind that!" Sanzo turned away, but Gojyo had seen his cheeks turn crimson. "Open your silly present."

"Silly, my ass, you got it." Gojyo shook his head, and tore the paper off, revealing a book with nothing on the cover but a gold frame. "This is a weird book." He flipped it open, but the pages were transparent and blank. "Hey, is this-"

"It's a photo album. We can put pictures in there." He dug in his sleeve for a moment and took a wrinkled photograph out. "Here, like this." He leaned over and opened the book, then tucked a familiar old photograph (one of Gojyo asleep, tangled in bedsheets in an inn room, with two very small infants curled up alongside him) into the first page.

"This is great." Gojyo grinned, looking between Sanzo and the book. "Maybe we can put stuff in it together, when you're less busy."

"It could be a while. There's been a surge in pertussis infections. Less deadly, but still terrible." Sanzo rested his hand in his chin. "Just keep the boys safe. Was today any better?"

Gojyo thought about everything, lips pressed tight and flat to his cheeks, wondering just how much Sanzo needed to know. "It... it was better. We're getting there."

"That's good." Sanzo put his feet up on the chair and sighed, tapping his fingers on the arm of the chair. "I don't like being separated from them this long."

"I know." Gojyo swung his ankles up to the railing around the rooftop deck, his hand hanging over the arm of the chair. He briefly let his fingers drift over toward where Sanzo's hand lay, but withdrew it, as though worried the contact might sting. His gaze drifted, but he let it linger. "We'll be alright. We always will." He clenched his fist. "I promise."

He'd made two promises that day, and intended to keep both. Even if he and Sanzo only had those few minutes that day, or even if this was all they had for a week, he'd make this good feeling last. The night sky blushed gray, heralding the coming winter, and the two men spent their precious time together in silent contentment. Much was left unsaid, but each of them knew it would only ruin what little they had.

* * *

**End Notes:** Next week, more of the terrible two's! And oh do they get bad.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Leave a review!


	12. The Real Terrible Twos

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author Notes:** Can't beat this summer heat! As in I can't get rid of it or avoid it. Someone turn up the A/C.

Review responses!

Dragon77: I'm pretty sure anyone would be driven to drinking by two especially bratty toddlers. I'm surprised Gojyo's not deep in a sake haze right about now, but being drunk will not help his parenting.

RodiSquall: I'm glad this helped cheer you up, if only a little... I hope. But yes, Gojyo thinks he's faced his worst nightmare as a parent... however, he's still in my story, and I ain't done with him yet.

The Terrible Twos mini-arc continues! (Yeah, it's a mini-arc now. Boom.)

**Disclaimer:** Not mine, except original characters and scenarios.

* * *

**11: The Real Terrible Twos**

All the promises in the world mean little to two-year-old boys who don't have a full grasp of just what a promise is. Gojyo was committed to keeping both of them, even though the boys' behavior wasn't improving and Sanzo was still scarce night after night. The real problem was the nights Sanzo was there.

As the outbreak was in a downswing, the quarantine services were finished earlier and earlier each day, and Sanzo soon had time to spend with the children during their waking hours. For the week after Gojyo's 'incident,' Sanzo started to arrive just before dinner, and he would dutifully help wash the boys and put them to bed with a bedtime story. However, even this limited contact with them often resulted in some backtalk and some whining. Sanzo was already in a foul mood from a busy day coordinating supply boxes and trying to console grieving families. He seemed to have less patience than ever, and it waned more and more each day. Even small things drew Sanzo's ire:

Four days after his return, Sanzo was in charge of reading the bedtime story. He'd pulled the chair between their beds, sitting between their heads with the book in his lap. Gojyo watched from the hallway- after Sanzo had walked away from dinner when Yohei had refused to eat his cabbage, he was sure that Sanzo's fuse was short. Yohei seemed to have cooled off now, though Gojyo noticed he was still coughing into his hand every once in a while. While Gojyo was worried about Yohei picking up a cold, Sanzo seemed distracted by the noise. More distracting, though, was that Eiji was tapping on the wall and humming, making music to himself. After a few minutes of story and bebop-scatting, Sanzo took hold of Eiji's shoulder.

"Quiet." He glared at Eiji, who whimpered and shrunk back. Gojyo tutted under his breath, but looked away before Sanzo could glare at him. Sanzo fixed his focus back on the storybook, and continued to read, until Eiji started tapping again. When Eiji started to mutter something under his breath, and Yohei started coughing again, Sanzo slammed the book shut, and both boys jumped. "Do you want me to read or not?"

"Kou, they're kids." Gojyo stepped in, hands out, ready to intervene, but Sanzo threw the book down.

"I don't have time for this. If he wants to play-" he pointed at Eiji- "And he wants to make noise-" he pointed at Yohei- "And you won't stop them-" He turned his gaze back to Gojyo, eyes narrow. "Then you can put them to bed!" He pushed past Gojyo and stormed out to the roof. Eiji started to cry, and Gojyo rolled his eyes and yelled over his shoulder:

"It's called 'pickin' your battles,' asshole!" He then sat between the boys and started trying to comfort them, with Eiji crying on his shoulder and Yohei coughing into his sleeve. Hakkai, of course, had heard the ordeal, and slowly, calmly followed Sanzo up to the roof.

"Well, that escalated quickly." He folded his hands behind his back and moved closer to Sanzo, who was draining the life out of a cigarette with quick draws and short puffs of smoke. "You know, it's not just the terrible twos because they're gaining autonomy and exercising their own authority." Hakkai approached warily as Sanzo glowered at the moon.

"Bull shit."

"No, no, that really is ancillary." Hakkai giggled, then turned a serious look to Sanzo. "No, it's because children who become ill and die do so at the highest rate during their toddler years." Hakkai sighed as Sanzo finished his cigarette and started another. "It's because they can get into things, but their immune systems just aren't strong enough-"

"Get to your point." Sanzo broke the cigarette between his fingers.

"This age is really wonderful, once you get past their willfulness. They're thinking new and unique things, they want to try things for themselves, they're becoming full people. But they're also at the highest risk you can imagine, and with the way the world is, you could lose them in the blink of an eye." Hakkai turned his body towards Sanzo, trying to look him in the face. He'd instead lit a third cigarette and continued to glare at the street below. "You must try and enjoy them for what they are."

"Hmph- lucky me. It doesn't change the fact that they're little bastards." Sanzo pounded his fist on the railing. "Rotten, awful, little-"

"You must be patient with them- they will learn if you teach them." Hakkai tried to pat his shoulder, but he shrugged him off. "The terrible twos won't last forever."

"Leave me alone." Sanzo put his hands on his head and leaned his chest over the railing, but Hakkai sidled closer to him. "Is it..." He trailed off, dropping his cigarette into the street below. "Is it that they hate me?"

"Of course not. Don't be silly." Hakkai rested his elbow on the rail and tucked his chin in his palm. "They love you, and very much."

"But they're awful. How does Gojyo deal with them?" Sanzo managed to look at Hakkai again.

"He's had more time to learn. You need to give yourself the same." Hakkai thought about trying to pat his shoulder again, but thought better of it. "I'll let you think about what you've done. Let's see- you've been up here about eight minutes. You're, what, twenty-five? Twenty-six?" Sanzo whipped around to glare at Hakkai again, and Hakkai giggled with a sly smile. "Twenty-eight, isn't it? By my estimates, you have another twenty minutes of time-out." He turned and strode away, smirking to himself, as Sanzo looked back down at the street.

"Is that why he only punishes them for two minutes?" He tented his fingers under his chin, resolving to try and remember that.

Hakkai had already figured out the main issue- because Sanzo hadn't been around while Gojyo was learning to tame the children, he hadn't had a chance to learn from Gojyo's mistakes. He still saw Sanzo airlift an angry baby out of a situation rather than dealing with it. However, Gojyo couldn't wait for Sanzo to learn. He was completely sick of watching Yohei throw himself at the wall until he wore himself out. He hated that Eiji screamed until his throat was raw whenever vegetables were forced onto him, sick of cleaning the walls after some meals. He hated apologizing to customers, or asking Hakkai to, whenever they started up and made a racket that shook the floorboards. However, worst of all was the feeling that he'd been over the hill and tumbled back down again- he'd managed to tame them for an evening and had enjoyed it much more than he should have, and he wanted that back. As such, he was willing to go to any lengths to fix it, especially since he knew what to do.

The next night, as dinner ended and clean-up started, the boys got some play time. Gojyo was washing the dishes, and Sanzo was drying, while Hakkai and Goku kept the twins entertained. Eiji didn't want to play tag with them, and he quickly showed as much by toddling back over to Sanzo's side and tugging on his dangling sleeve. Sanzo sighed and crouched down to nudge him back towards Goku and Hakkai.

"Go play with your uncle. I'm busy." With that, Sanzo stood back up and continued to dry the plates. Eiji toddled a single step back towards where Hakkai and Goku were playing with Yohei, but turned right back to Sanzo.

"Papa!" He smiled and grabbed onto his sleeve again and tugged hard. Sanzo was taken off-guard and dropped the plate onto Eiji as he turned towards him. Eiji's jaw fell open as the impact took effect, and Gojyo's jaw followed suit as Eiji started to cry and rub at the spot where it hit. Sanzo got down on his knees in front of him.

"Let me see." He tried to pull Eiji's hands away, but Eiji wrapped his arms over his head and screamed. Yohei skidded to a halt and stared as Gojyo got on Eiji's other side and checked where the plate hit from behind.

"Looks like a little bump. I'll get an ice pack and he'll be fine." He smoothed Eiji's hair down, but this only elicited a whine. Sanzo, however, remained at Eiji's side.

"It's okay. You're not hurt so bad." He tried to dry his eyes, but Eiji pushed him away. Across the room, Hakkai and Goku tried to get Yohei's attention back:

"Yo-chan, big cousin's gonna get you!"

"Look, there he is!" Hakkai sneaked around the side of him, but Yohei marched up to Sanzo and punched him in the back of his shoulder.

"You hurd my bruvver!" Yohei pointed at Sanzo with a scowl on his face. Sanzo barely even registered the hit, but turned towards Yohei with a scowl on his face. He didn't realize just how much menace filled his eyes, and Yohei cringed back. Gojyo returned and set the ice pack on Eiji's head.

"Yohei, we do not hit." In a single motion, Gojyo picked Yohei up under his arms and set him in the corner. "Two minutes. Sanzo, take Eiji to the couch." Yohei began to whine and stomp his feet, glaring at Gojyo. Gojyo folded his arms and stood next to him, expressionless. Hakkai sighed, clearly disappointed by their truncated playtime, and dragged Goku to the sink by his arm so the two of them could finish the dishes. Sanzo looked disgusted, but left Eiji to hold the ice pack and moved closer to Yohei.

"Stop complaining." Sanzo scowled at him, and Yohei whined louder and swung at Sanzo again. Gojyo snagged Sanzo's collar and yanked him away from the corner. Sanzo staggered behind him, briefly betraying bewilderment in his expression as Gojyo put him in the corner opposite Yohei.

"Stay over here. Don't move or talk. Stare at the wall. I'll deal with them." Gojyo's face and voice were completely serious. He patted Sanzo's shoulder, then turned back towards the boys. Sanzo gawked as Gojyo stood in front of Yohei again, blocking his view. Goku tiptoed towards Sanzo, but Hakkai held him back. Sanzo tried to make out what Gojyo was doing or saying, but whatever it was, it was quiet and subtle to the point where Sanzo couldn't hear it, but Yohei stopped whining. Eiji toddled over to Sanzo again, and Sanzo leaned his shoulder over, just enough to hold the ice down to the bump on his head.

After that, the night went on, but Sanzo refused to talk to any of the others. He stayed back and out of the activities, sometimes vanishing from the room to go out and smoke without even saying "I'll be back." After the boys were asleep, Gojyo caught up with him as he started to leave.

"You're pissed 'cause I told you not to talk to Yohei while he was bein' a brat." Sanzo's nostrils flared in response, and Gojyo rolled his eyes. "Look, you were just gonna rile him up-"

"You're not letting me help. Is this payback for my absence?" For not speaking all night, Sanzo's voice was surprisingly sharp and gruff, each word pointed like needles aimed for Gojyo's eyes.

"What? No." Gojyo folded his arms again, and stood firm as Sanzo tried to get around him. "No, it's because doing that kind of crap only makes them act up more!"

"Then what do you want me to do?" Sanzo's shoulders quivered- he could feel heat building in his chest. "He hit me and yelled at me, and then when I tried to scold him, you pulled me away!"

"What you do is let them cool down. He was being punished, he didn't need you to double down on him. He's two." Gojyo kept his tone even, but he could feel the hair on the back of his neck prick up.

"Then what do you want me to do?" Sanzo bit each word off, then glanced over Gojyo's shoulder at the stairwell down and out. The stairs were terribly steep- pushing Gojyo out of the way would have been a very bad idea. Gojyo sighed, and gave his head a terse scratch.

"Nothing." He dropped his arms to his sides. "You do nothing."

"Hakkai was saying that, now you're saying that." Sanzo threw his fists down to his sides. "I don't understand."

"Means exactly what it means. Nothing. Hakkai told me that you gotta figure the rest out for yourself." Gojyo slumped his shoulders as Sanzo raised his hackles.

"I cannot simply do nothing when they are exploding before my eyes! I have no idea how you can stand it!" Sanzo immediately regretted raising his voice, and saw Gojyo's face change faster than a blink- his lips straightened out, his brow unwrinkled, and he drew his eyes to a calm, heavy-lidded stare. He dropped his arms to his sides, back slouched. Sanzo pushed past him and started down the stairs, but stopped at the lower landing and looked back up. Gojyo had turned to watch him with judgmental eyes, and Sanzo realized what Gojyo was doing. He growled under his breath and stormed out. "Bastard, that doesn't count."

As always, all was forgiven the next night- or so it always seemed. Hakkai could tell that they were instead just wiping over the dents with a fresh coat of paint and hoping nobody tapped on the soft spots. Sanzo and Gojyo went about their business, the boys were taken care of, and all seemed well. Even when the boys weren't throwing tantrums, however, the conversation was less than pleasant. Hakkai got a good snapshot as the two sat at the table after the boys were in bed, Gojyo with the shop ledger and Sanzo with his journal.

"How's the writin' goin'?" Gojyo asked, tucking a loose strand of hair behind his ear. He glanced at the edge between his fingers, clearly contemplating a split end before dismissing it.

"Hrm." Sanzo flipped back a few pages. He had not kept the others up to date on his progress, in part because it had been such slow going. Gojyo raised his eyes from his ledger and cocked his brow. "I've skipped around a bit. Debating what to include."

"Just put everything. It's a journal, ain't it?"

"Except I'm a public figure, and including things that are objectionable or offensive could be troublesome." Sanzo closed his journal and tapped his pen on the spine. "I'm almost certain I won't include Hazel- I'd worry about being accused of xenophobia-"

"Please, Hazel was fucking important!" Gojyo clucked his tongue and turned a few pages back in his ledger. "You ain't got anythin' against him personally or the Western continent, why make such a big dea-"

"And what are you poring over?" Sanzo snapped his wrist out and swiped the ledger from Gojyo. Gojyo tried to grab it back as Sanzo pawed the pages down to the current date. He frowned as he looked at the daily totals. "You're in the red."

"It's gettin' cold, dickwad, prices are goin' up!" Sanzo dropped the ledger into Gojyo's flailing hand. Gojyo closed the ledger and shoved it into his jacket, then scowled back at Sanzo over the table. "Flower prices go up, our bottom line shrinks."

"Hmph. Maybe you just suck at math." Sanzo sat back in his chair, and Gojyo felt his neck itch at the implied superiority.

"Eat my cock, I know what I'm doing!" Gojyo began to shove his hand in all his pockets, searching for a cigarette. The ledger slipped out of his inner jacket pocket, but he was too wound-up to notice. "At least I'm not getting hung up on appearances and shit when tryin' to tell people about my fuckin' life-"

"I don't tell people about my life. Nor do you, for that matter." Sanzo narrowed his eyes, grinding his knuckles against the table. "I am expected to, and besides that, our lives happen to be of interest."

"Your life, maybe. You're the high fuckin' priest. Nobody cares if our business fuckin' fails." Gojyo found a cigarette and jumped to his feet. "If we end up homeless and broke, we're just more trash to get swept out." He lit the cigarette and stomped up towards the second floor, and Sanzo could hear his footsteps trailing towards the stairs to the rooftop. Hakkai took this moment to cross the room for the refrigerator, and tried his hardest to pretend he hadn't heard the entire conversation. Sanzo had long been used to Hakkai's mask, and of course cut right through it.

"How long has money been tight?" He opened the ledger again.

"Oh, only a week or two. We're still riding off the profits from the summer." Hakkai took out the sake bottle, then got a pot out of the cupboard and poured some water into it. "If it's any comfort, I knew the insult about his math skills was an attempt to lighten the mood. But he's worried, and you're terrible at sarcasm-"

"His math is fine." Hakkai looked over his shoulder and saw that Sanzo had flipped through the book and had stopped on the last page.

"Hm." Hakkai smiled weakly and put the bottle into the pot of water and the pot onto the stove. "Either way-"

"And what will you do when your summer profits run dry?"

"I'm not entirely certain." Hakkai turned the handle of the pot in and leaned against the counter. "Worst comes to worst, I'll take a winter job to make ends meet. I've heard there's always work in Zhengzou." Sanzo grunted, and Hakkai chuckled. "But so it goes. We'll see. For now, we'll just pinch pennies as we can."

"Give me some of your grocery list." Sanzo dropped the ledger on the table and got to his feet. "I'll help."

"I'm afraid that won't do. We're adults, after all-"

"I will feed my children, and I doubt it'd be acceptable to pay for exactly half of each item you purchase. Make a list, I'll send Goku along with it- or send me a bill for services rendered."

"Bill you for your children." Hakkai lowered his head and laughed, rubbing his eyes with his palm. "Let's worry about it when we come to it." He looked down in the pot at the bubbles gathering on the side of the bottle. "Good night, Sanzo." He took the bottle, passing it from hand to hand to keep from burning his palms, and left Sanzo alone. Sanzo put his head in his hands and groaned. He didn't know what this sensation was, but he hated the way Hakkai had laughed at him.

Tensions came to a head the next night over dinner. The fathers split duties as usual, but the boys were learning to feed themselves- just not the parts they didn't like. Gojyo watched as Yohei was picked at his dinner, but he didn't seem to have the energy to complain about it and chewed weakly on his carrot sticks. Eiji had more than enough energy for the both of them, and threw the carrots back at Sanzo.

"You will eat your carrots." Sanzo threw the carrot back onto Eiji's tray and pushed it towards him. Eiji threw it back.

"No!"

"Eiji- eat." Sanzo thrust the carrot towards Eiji's mouth, and Eiji spit it at him.

"No." His eyes squinted in a defiant glare that was all too familiar, but Sanzo didn't have the time to see the parallel and whipped the harisen out of his sleeve.

"Stop!" Gojyo dove across the table and caught Sanzo's hand. Sanzo gritted his teeth and threw the harisen down, slapping against the floor. Both boys flinched, and Yohei started to cough and hid his face in his hands. Sanzo scoffed and stormed outside for a cigarette.

"Monsters!"

Gojyo groaned and caught his breath. He picked up the harisen and flipped it over a few times, then looked between the boys. Eiji had begun to timidly nibble on his carrots, as Yohei kept coughing. "It... it ain't so bad, guys, it's just noisy." He slapped the fan on his own wrist a few times, but Eiji crumpled his toes up and Yohei put his head on the table.

"Noisy, Daddy." Yohei looked up at him with an oddly morose, hangdog look for a toddler. Gojyo put the fan away and sat back down with them.

"I'm sorry, guys." He put his elbows on the table and held a carrot out to Eiji. "Your Papa's got it rough."

Sanzo came back inside more than an hour later, shivering from the late November chill and still reeking of acrid smoke. Hakkai had taken care of the dishes and politely dismissed himself for the evening, saying something about meeting somebody. Yohei was sitting on the wall while Gojyo read him a story, as Eiji bounced a rubber ball against the wall and chased it as it got away from him. Yohei started a coughing fit, and Gojyo groaned and hugged him.

"Come on, guy." He took him and set him on the sofa, and Yohei lay down and curled up. "Lemme get the thermometer." Eiji noticed Yohei laying down, a pale sweat starting to cover his forehead. Sanzo frowned as Gojyo passed him.

"You have nothing to say to me?"

"Only that we got about ten more months of this." Gojyo kept his lips upturned as he passed, and dug the thermometer out of the kitchen drawers. "They'll grow out of this eventually."

"What did we do wrong?" Sanzo folded his arms, and Gojyo shrugged and passed him again to put the thermometer in Yohei's mouth. Sanzo scowled- he did not like being ignored, and he was sick of ignoring a nagging feeling. "You know, I'm starting to think you're just afraid to discipline them." Gojyo straightened up and frowned over his shoulder, and Sanzo felt heat rising inside of him- he'd opened the can of worms, and he couldn't stop them from crawling out now. "When I acted up as a child, I got spanked with a sandal. That would put them right in line-"

"Kou, I can't do that." Gojyo felt his anger wipe away to a sickly feeling deep in his bowels, and slumped against the couch. He kept the thermometer in Yohei's mouth with one hand and ran his hands back through his hair with the other. "I can't hurt them. All I went through to have 'em, how can I hurt them now? I can't lay a finger on 'em."

"You don't love them enough to discipline them? I'd probably get them in line in ten seconds if you'd let me deal with them my way!" Sanzo spat the words out, holding his ground firm. Yohei coughed again, harder than before, and the thermometer fell. Gojyo managed to catch it, but it broke in his clenching fist. Sanzo heard the glass tinkle on the floor, and Gojyo looked up with fire in his eyes. The anger had come back, but he held it back with slow, heavily punctuated, measured tones.

"I think you need a break." He got to his feet, dropping the broken thermometer pieces into the ashtray, and advanced almost menacingly on Sanzo. "Why don't you go take a walk and clear your head?" Sanzo leaned back as Gojyo stared him down.

"The hell do you-"

"Get out." Gojyo clamped his jaw shut, and Sanzo threw his hands up and whirled on his heel.

"Fine!" He swept out, his robes swishing behind him with their usual dramatic flair that spoke with as much weight as any words he could have said. Eiji chased Sanzo as the door to the shop shut, halting at the top of the stairs beside Gojyo.

"Papa?" His eyes filled with confused tears as he looked up to Gojyo. "Daddy, Papa?"

"Papa's gone." Gojyo sighed out his tension as he turned back towards Yohei. "Daddy scared him off." He dipped down to pick Eiji up and sat on the couch next to Yohei, as he started to cough again. "He'll be back. We'll be okay." He snuggled Eiji under one arm and Yohei under the other, took a deep breath, then let it out. He wasn't sure he could keep that promise either, but he had no idea what else to do anymore.

* * *

Late in the night, Gojyo heard the noise of heavy footsteps outside his bedroom door that would have woken him had he been asleep. He sat up, already aware, and got to his feet when he heard a knock on the door. "Kou? 'Zat you?"

"Daddy?" Yohei coughed outside his door, and Gojyo could hear the tears in his eyes from the sound of his voice. Gojyo threw the door open, to see Yohei shivering, tears soaking his cheeks and the collar of his nightshirt. "Daddy, hurts." He put his hands on his heart, then began to cough again, louder, harder this time. Gojyo felt a sick feeling run all the way through him, and his limbs and stomach started to shake. His gut felt colder than absolute zero.

"Okay, buddy." He got down on eye level with Yohei, forcing himself to remain calm as he coughed harder and harder into his hands. "Does it hurt when you breathe, or all the time?"

"All'a time," Yohei choked out through a cough, and his whole body shrieked as he inhaled.

"Kiddo..." Gojyo kept his face straight as his inner voice screamed at him: _When did he start coughing? Today? No, shit, at least four days- was it more than that? Why is he coughing? What was his temperature?_ He touched Yohei's forehead- it was definitely warmer than it should have been. "What else hurts?"

"Tummy..." Yohei wheezed. "Head..." He started to hack again, his whole body convulsing, blood dripping from his lips, and Gojyo winced. He tried to catch his breath as the rest of his body choked the air out of him, wheezing louder than a scream, half-shut eyes struggling to focus on Gojyo. Suddenly, more than the collar of his nightshirt was wet, and his eyes were wet anew. "Daddy, I peed..."

"Yo- no, it's okay." He pushed the scold under, then undressed Yohei and put the already damp shirt over the puddle. _He's coughing so hard he can't hold his piss. _Gojyo felt dizzy at the thought. He took a towel from the bathroom and laid it on his bed and put Yohei on top of it, still trying to think straight, still trying to stay calm. He resisted the urge to kiss his forehead, and settled for rubbing his head. "It's okay, buddy, Daddy's gonna make everything okay." Yohei kept coughing, and Gojyo went to wash his hands, trying to sort everything out in his head. At the moment, he was sure of just one thing:

Even though Yohei had been coughing for over a week, Eiji hadn't. Not once.

_I have to keep it that way._

* * *

Sanzo woke to morning light and something being thrown at his head. He sat up on his mat and gawked to see Eiji rummaging through his desk.

"Mornin', Papa!" Eiji chirped, and threw a pen to Sanzo, then laughed. Sanzo managed to shut his agape jaw long enough to see a little knapsack next to Goku's sleeping form with a note pinned to it in Gojyo's crooked script:

_'Emergency. House quarantined. Spare Eiji. Love.'_

"Son of a-"

Sanzo had presence of mind enough to get dressed and put Eiji's shoes on before rushing out of the temple, tugging Eiji along by the hand. Eiji whined and pulled back, but Sanzo ignored him and the odd stares from the other monks and ran the entire way to the flower shop. His insides jolted as he saw the yellow quarantine tape and the white signs on the doors and windows. A handwritten note in neat, straight script was posted on the big bay window next to the government-issued signs:

_'Due to the sudden illness of one of our wards, 85 Flowers is closed until further notice. Thank you for your continued patronage!'_

It was now that Sanzo began to question his own math skills, because nothing was adding up. Nothing was clicking, and none of this made sense. He recognized his panic, and submerged it into his anger. He dropped Eiji's hand and tried to open the door, but it was locked. He checked his pockets only to find he'd forgotten his key. Unabated, he pounded on the door with his fists. "Damn it, Gojyo, this is no laughing matter!"

"Daddy?" Eiji hadn't wandered off, but instead crept closer. He watched for a moment, waiting for the door to open, but slouched and put his thumb in his mouth. "Daddy says no home." Sanzo ground his teeth together and banged on the door again.

"One of you needs to explain this!" He banged again, but jumped when he heard a pound in response, and saw that Gojyo had come to the window. He had a mask on, covering his mouth and nose, his hair was unkempt and tousled, and he had the shop's ledger turned to a blank page and pressed against the glass with a message written on it:

_'How long did he have that cough?'_ Sanzo took him in for a moment.

"What the hell are you doing?" He scowled. Gojyo pointed at the mask, and Sanzo could just hear through the glass:

"Can you hear me?" Sanzo shook his head, and Gojyo nodded to himself and shook the book.

"Don't you think you're taking this a little far?" Sanzo scowled and folded his arms, but Gojyo shook the paper insistently. Sanzo had to think, the bile inside him starting to recede. "Five... six days. Maybe seven." Sanzo noticed the relief in Gojyo's shadow-ringed eyes, as he scribbled a new message, ripped the page out, and held it up.

_'Then it's definitely not the plague. You knew that, right?'_ He took the paper down and added, _'Feel better?'_

"You're serious, aren't you?" Sanzo gripped Eiji's hand tight, as all of his anger turned into panic. "Let me in. Let me see him!"

Gojyo wrote again, sloppier this time, _'You come in, not going out!'_ Sanzo saw his chest rise and fall with a sigh as he took the note down and added,_ 'Had to call doctor last night, took Ei to you first. Figured on this. House got shut down, doc barely let Ha back in.'_ He let Sanzo read, settling himself on the inner sill and writing again with his free hand._ 'Ei must have stronger immune system- hanyou and all.'_

"But it's not the plague?" Sanzo looked between Eiji and Gojyo. Gojyo shook his head, and wrote again:

_'Doc says whooping cough.'_ He shifted the paper in his lap, struggling to keep the book straight._ 'Plague doesn't take that long to start, kills faster. He'd be dead now.'_ Sanzo inhaled sharply at the reminder, and tried to remember what he'd been told about the disease.

"Pertussis. It's..." He looked at his feet, until Gojyo tapped the window.

_'Heavy coughing. Yo can't sleep, can't eat, breathe.'_ It was then that Sanzo noticed the blood smearing Gojyo's palm behind the paper and splattered onto the front of his shirt.

"Will it kill him?" Sanzo realized he was frantic, but didn't care as Gojyo froze up, staring blankly through the window at him. "Answer me!" Gojyo considered his answer, before putting it up for Sanzo to see.

_'Possible.'_ Sanzo clutched Eiji's hand, and Eiji whined and tried to shrug his hand off, as Gojyo added,_ 'We got him help pretty early- treating as best as we can, not out of woods yet.'_ Sanzo looked down, glaring at his feet.

"When is 'out of the woods'?" Gojyo tapped the glass, and Sanzo looked up. Gojyo tapped his ear, and Sanzo rolled his eyes. "When will he be safe?" Gojyo nodded, and scrawled his reply:

_'Two weeks.'_ Suddenly, his eyes widened, he dropped the pad and looked over his shoulder to the stairs. Even through the glass, Sanzo could hear the whooping, shrieking noise from the house. Gojyo took the pad up, hands shaking, and wrote again:_ 'Must run.'_ He bounded off the sill, looking around the room for something, and wrote one more message:_ 'Ei safe with you. Sorry to impose.'_

"Just take care of Yohei." Sanzo watched a second longer as Gojyo grabbed a roll of paper towels from under the shop desk, and turned to leave. He heard Gojyo pound on the glass one more time, and saw him holding up a drawing of a heart, his eyes smiling. Sanzo looked down to Eiji. "He loves you. Wave goodbye."

"No bye-bye!" Eiji reached for the glass, but Gojyo waved and went for the stairs. "Daddy, no!"

"Come along." Sanzo put his frustrations aside and Eiji pulled away, but Sanzo hoisted him up by his pants and set him over his shoulder. "You'll stay with Papa for now."

"Papa, want Daddy!" Eiji kicked and squirmed, then started to scream, but Sanzo found patience enough to pin him to his shoulder instead of chiding him and hauling him away. He ignored the odd stares from street sweepers and newspaper delivery boys, tried not to feel the fists pounding his back, and hauled Eiji back towards the temple.

He didn't have much choice, even if it meant taking Eiji on alone. It was him versus two, and he would not lose.

* * *

The rest of the monks at Kei'un temple knew that Sanzo had taken Goku as a ward, and upon his arrival home after their thirty months on the road, they had accepted him. They also knew that he'd taken in two other wards, the foundlings he'd found in the marketplace, that now stayed at the home of the two other 'heroes'. They all knew that Sanzo would spend whatever time he could with them, but they had not met them yet and weren't sure what to expect. They did not know how to react when Sanzo showed up for breakfast that morning with a new companion, their normally silent breakfast colored with furtive, suspicious glances, shrugs, and sighs. Sanzo sat at the head of the table, as he usually did, but he was joined today by a little head covered in tousled red hair just peeping over the edge, a pair of little eyes and a button-nose struggling to stay in view. One of the monks looked between Sanzo and the tiny boy with him.

"I had heard one of Sanzo's wards was a hanyou, but..." Sanzo cleared his throat, and the monk silenced himself. Mealtimes were usually completely silent, and Sanzo enforced the rule rather strictly. However, rules, like promises, meant little to toddlers. Sanzo was almost certain Eiji didn't even know the meaning of the word- neither 'promises' nor 'silence.' He'd gotten Eiji a small bowl of rice steeped in green tea and a spoon with which to eat it, but Eiji was, to say the least, disinterested.

"Yuck." Eiji slouched under the table, prodding the bowl with one finger.

"Eat," Sanzo instructed under his breath, and placed the spoon into Eiji's hand without looking away from the other monks.

"No. Yuck." He scowled at Sanzo, and Sanzo again got the sensation he was looking into a mirror. He began to feel the frustration from the previous nights creeping back, but he tried to ignore it, reminding himself: 'It's something new. He's still learning. Teach him.'

"It's good." Sanzo took a bite to demonstrate. "Good for you."

"No. Pear, Papa. Want pear." He folded his arms and leaned against Sanzo's side. Some of the monks choked back giggles. Sanzo tapped his chopsticks on the table, and the monks who had started to laugh silenced and sat upright.

"No pears. Rice." Sanzo turned to him, took the spoon, and scooped up some of Eiji's rice. "Eat."

"No. Want!" Eiji knocked the spoon from Sanzo's hand. One of the monks guffawed, and Sanzo turned a fierce glare towards him, instantly silencing the table. He turned his eyes towards Eiji and his body away.

"Now you eat with your hands."

"No!" Eiji turned the bowl over onto the table.

"Now you eat nothing." Sanzo took the bowl and set it aside. "Are you happy now?"

"No no no!" Eiji hit his fist on the table, rattling the other bowls on the table. "Hate!"

Sanzo felt something snap inside of him, and jumped to his feet. "Enough!" He grabbed Eiji and dragged him into the hallway. Eiji started to cry as Sanzo dropped him against the wall and folded his arms. "I don't understand you. What did I do wrong to make you act like this?" Eiji shrieked and swung a fist at Sanzo's knees, and in an instant, Sanzo seized him by the back of his neck and flung him over his bent knee. He raised his hand, and-

"Stop." He stayed his hand when he heard Goku's voice behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, to see Goku awake on shaking feet, hand outstretched. He trudged slowly closer, and knelt in front of Eiji. Sanzo's wrist shook. Goku muttered something to Eiji in the twins' language, and Eiji replied in a tearful mumble. Goku looked back at Sanzo, eyes still dull with weariness, but he had already gotten a grip on the situation. "He's scared already, and pro'lly just acting up because he misses his Daddy. You were little once- put yourself in his shoes." Sanzo sighed, took a deep breath, and let the voice of reason speak.

_He is less than a meter tall. He does not speak or understand my language, at least not well. He is in a strange new place, and does not know what is expected of him here- how can he? He _is_ scared. What will hurting him accomplish but to scare him more? His logic is different from mine, and he cannot possibly understand why he cannot have his way._

"I'm sorry, Eiji." Sanzo released Eiji, and he flinched as he dusted him off. "You don't know you're wrong."

"See?" Goku smiled as Eiji rubbed his eyes and leaned against Sanzo's leg. "He's got a nice boy somewhere in there." Sanzo looked up, frowning- this voice may have sounded like Goku, but it was not. As if to prove it, Goku promptly fell face first and started snoring again. Sanzo ignored him, and patted Eiji's back.

"We'll figure this out together, Ei." Sanzo picked him up again, this time scooping under his legs to let him sit on his elbow, and he took hold of Goku by the back of his shirt. He forgot that he hadn't had breakfast, too distracted by the realization that he had no idea what he was doing. He looked down at Goku once more as he walked, and glanced upwards. He squinted at the Heavens, and begrudgingly lowered his head. "Thank you." He then dropped his voice, hoping neither Eiji nor Heaven could hear: "Miserable old bitch. Last thing I need is your help..."

* * *

Eiji sulked for a while as Sanzo tried to work on his journal and Goku returned to sleeping on the windowsill. Every once in a while, one of the monks came in to consult with him concerning the aid boxes. Eiji sat and sighed and stared at the walls.

"Bored," Eiji grunted, rocking his heels. Sanzo sighed and ignored him, and Eiji put his chin in his hands and sighed in response. After trying and failing to put words to paper for nearly an hour, Sanzo took Eiji on a walk through the temple sanctuary to examine the crates heading out, and the list of quarantined houses.

"No losses today?" He asked the monk in charge of the list. Eiji clung to Sanzo's leg, trembling behind him.

"No sir, seems it's winding down pretty well." The monk straightened his blocky glasses and flipped through a few pages. "Mostly youkai on the outskirts of town, couple of humans who work in the market in town- seems there were a few new cases of pertussis, a few workers in the marketplace and the child of a florist."

"Hm." Sanzo looked at the later pages. "That's..."

"Oh, that's the two other heroes, right?" The monk looked surprised as he read it again. "So that's your oth-"

"Please ensure they're well-cared-for. Take it out of my rations if you must, or I'll pay the temple back." Sanzo handed the list back to the clerk, and took Eiji's hand.

"Yes, sir!" The monk bounded away to relay Sanzo's instructions, and Sanzo moved along, peeking in all the boxes. He glanced at the box labelled "Sha," and sighed. Eiji did the same.

"Bored, bored, bored." He skipped loosely at Sanzo's side, voice nearly sing-song. "Bo-ored, bo-ored, bo-ored..."

"Let's go." Sanzo closed his hand tighter around Eiji's, and Eiji gasped.

"No!" He cringed and kept trying to pull his hand away. "No no no!"

"Ei, why don't we take a walk?" Sanzo kept his voice calm, but his mind and body remained calm as well. Eiji didn't seem to read this, still flinching at Sanzo's offered hand. Sanzo got down on his knees and tipped Eiji's chin up to meet his eyes. "To the park."

"N- Park?" Eiji stopped himself from crying, eyes widening.

"Yes. We can walk to the park. Isn't..." He lowered his voice as he felt the other monks' eyes boring holes in the back of his head. "Isn't there a slide? And swings? It's not too cold, if you wear your jacket." Eiji seemed to think, staring blankly at Sanzo. Sanzo took a long breath, and repeated; "Would you like to go on a walk to the park? With Papa?"

It was the first time in ages, it seemed, that Eiji had said 'yes' to something. Sanzo wasn't even sure he'd heard him say the word before, but Eiji had agreed. He'd let Sanzo put his jacket on him, and even begrudgingly held his hand as they strolled down the sidewalk. He still sulked, eyes on the ground, chewing on his thumb, but Sanzo couldn't pay it any mind. He'd finally had his victory, as small as it was. Now, he had to worry as they passed the darkened windows of the flowershop.

"Yohei," he sighed under his breath, a silent prayer escaping on his exhale. He couldn't stop from imagining the terrible pain his child had to suffer at that very moment...

* * *

Inside the shop, Sanzo's speculation was very much Gojyo's reality. His ten-minute conversation with Sanzo had been his only rest for more than six hours. He was nigh-glued to Yohei's side in his bedroom, sitting in a chair he'd dragged from the kitchen. He held Yohei's hand as he sweated through trying to inhale, or patted his back and steadied his shoulders as he hacked his lungs to pieces. All of Yohei's little coughing fits had been precipitating this, and couldn't compare in ferocity or length. A newly emptied wastebasket sat beside the bed, waiting to be filled again with tissues covered in blood, or worse. Gojyo had tried to keep clothes on him, but had given up after the third change- his worst coughing fits ended in retching, and Hakkai had convinced him that they wouldn't have time to do that much laundry. Now, he started up again, launching himself upright as his entire body shuddered with the force. Hakkai entered, wearing a mask and gloves and carrying a tray. Gojyo didn't have a chance to hail him, grabbing a tissue to catch the blood sputtering from Yohei's lips, visibly shuddering as he examined it and Yohei whooped for air.

That noise must have been what hell sounded like. It made Gojyo's stomach turn every time.

"Poor dear." Hakkai set the tray down, and Gojyo discarded the tissue and smeared his hands clean on another. Yohei collapsed back onto the bed, still panting for air. Hakkai clicked his tongue and checked his watch. "It's been six hours, yes? That's time enough between doses, let's give him his medicine. I've soup for the both of you."

"I ain't hungry." Gojyo shook his head slowly, wiping the sweat off of Yohei's forehead and chest. "And he'll just lose it."

"The fits are lesser after the medicine kicks in. He wasn't quite this bad two hours ago." Hakkai removed the lid from the tray. "Didn't you notice?"

"All I noticed is that he's still coughing."

"Gojyo, he must eat, or he'll dehydrate." Hakkai opened the medicine bottle and measured out a spoonful.

"Shit- you think I don't know that?!" Gojyo dug his fingers into his thighs. "I can't stand-"

"To see him like this. I know. It's painful for you especially. Hearing him cough like that..." Hakkai trailed off, as Gojyo lowered his shoulders. Yohei wheezed softly in the bed, reaching out to Gojyo, and Gojyo took his hand. Hakkai laid his hand on Gojyo's shoulder. "But you must tolerate it." He put the spoon under Gojyo's nose. "He will not recover unless you can swallow your fears and believe he will recover, then put forth the effort to make it so."

"R-right." Gojyo took the spoon, and turned his face back to Yohei. Yohei's hair, usually golden like wheat, was slick with sweat and looked brown like it had wilted, but it hung around his ears and in his face, and he opened bleary, wet blue eyes that could only just focus on the spoon Gojyo held out. He knew he wasn't looking at the boy who'd coughed his soul out more than three years ago, but the sick feeling in his stomach was telling him otherwise. Still, Gojyo swallowed it and leaned towards Yohei, spoon in hand.

"No," he whined, though he could barely muster the energy to be heard at all. Hakkai switched to the other side of the bed and propped him up with a pillow.

"It's for your own good, buddy." Gojyo smiled, though it was invisible under the mask. Yohei tried to lift a hand to swat the medicine away, but his muscles were too drained from convulsing through his coughing fits. His tilted his head away and started to whine again, but Gojyo tucked the spoon in the moment his mouth opened. Hakkai held Yohei's jaw shut until he swallowed, and he coughed a drier, weaker cough when Hakkai did release him. "See, buddy, not so bad."

"Take your medicine like a good boy, and you'll be better in no time." Hakkai beamed, eyes filled with genuine mirth.

"Yuck." Yohei laid back against the pillows behind him, scowling at his own toes.

"Attaboy," Gojyo laughed, and rubbed his hands over his eyes. "How about we have some soup, make the medicine taste go away?" Yohei turned discerning eyes towards Gojyo.

"Kay." He scooted forward, and Gojyo took one of the bowls of soup from Hakkai's tray and began to spoon it to Yohei. Yohei cooperated, taking the soup slowly and swallowing without complaint. Gojyo had no idea he could be this proud of a few gulps of chicken broth.

"See? Tastes better. Soup is much better. You just gotta keep it in your tummy." He grinned, and Yohei smiled wearily back.

"Not hungry now, Daddy. Sleep?"

"You wanna sleep now?" Gojyo looked at the bowl- it was barely half-empty- but Hakkai nodded and removed some of the pillows from behind him.

"He hasn't slept since last night, has he?" Hakkai helped shift Yohei's body back to prone. "Let him sleep if he's tired, he at least got to eat some. Besides, you need a breather."

"Yeah, guess we'll get whatever we can in." Gojyo sat back, setting Yohei's bowl back on the tray. Yohei coughed again, much more quietly this time, and settled against his pillow to sleep. Hakkai sat down on the other side of the bed and took a book out.

"Go ahead, you should take your mask off a little further away from him."

"I'll go in a minute." Gojyo set his elbows on his knees and leaned forward, watching the shuddering rise and fall of Yohei's chest.

It had been less than one day, and Gojyo was feeling himself wearing thin. He knew he had to take it, but he wasn't sure he'd survive, let alone Yohei.

* * *

**End Notes: **Next time, the conclusion of the Terrible Twos mini-arc!

Until then, leave a review, let me know what you think, or anything you'd like to see!


	13. Two Battlefields

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author Notes:** Whoo, this one got long. Settle in kids!

**Disclaimer:** Nope, not mine! Also, because I'm kind of rushing on this, I apologize for any grammatical or syntax errors in advance and promise I will fix them the second I notice them. As a point, when I uploaded this file, the "m" in "them" there was a comma. Someone please send me some caffeine.

* * *

**12: Two Battlefields**

"So Eiji's staying here for the next thirteen days?" Goku stroked Eiji's hair as he slept, curled up in Sanzo's mat and covered in a quilt. The moon was out, gleaming through the paper windows and painting the floor in oblong rectangles. Sanzo was up late, scribbling in his journal, or trying to.

"Yohei is very, very sick." His pen scratched to a halt, and he crossed a few words out. "Eiji will stay here where he is safe. Hanyou are resistant but not immune to human diseases, and we do not want to take the risk."

"Ohh." Goku tucked the quilt over Eiji again, as he mumbled and rolled over onto his front. Goku tucked his plush rabbit under him to prop his chest up. Sanzo glanced over his shoulder at this odd little show of affection, but brushed it off.

"Don't you remember any of this from earlier?" Sanzo flipped the page and started anew, and Goku tapped his lower lip, studying the floor for a moment.

"Uh, I remember Eiji bein' here. He wasn't happy. But after he told me he was scared and he didn't want to eat with the scary bald guys, it gets a little fuzzy."

"Is that what he said?" Sanzo pursed his lips and turned around. "You really do speak his little nonsense language?"

"Uh, yeah."

Sanzo thrust the book out to him. "Can you write me a dictionary?"

"What?" Goku guffawed, but shook his head. "I mean, it doesn't translate, like the language on the Western continent does, you know, 'this word means that word.' It just means what it means, like dogs barking, or birds chirping."

"Hmph." Sanzo turned back around, opened the journal again, and stared at what he'd written. "Do you understand those things too?"

"They're all pretty boring, really." Goku sat down beside Eiji and continued to comb his hair out between his fingers. "Birds mostly talk about how nice their nests are and asking for ladies to come hang out with them, and dogs are talking about squirrels they saw and who peed on what light pole." He smiled to himself, hanging his hand over his knee as Eiji turned away from him. "People're much more interesting."

"Hrm." Sanzo nodded, and closed his book. "Can you at least tell Eiji to talk to me in our language?"

"Could try, but I'unno how well it'll work." Goku shrugged and hung his head. "If it helps, not havin' Yohei around might help them not come up with any new words."

"I see. I will need your help, then."

"Anytime, Sanzo." Goku grinned and bounced from side to side- he was needed! "I mean, anything to help my little cousins!"

"Good." Goku sat stark upright at the sound of Sanzo's voice- the tone was unfamiliar to him. The next words were ever more so: "Thank you." Goku didn't quite know how to respond- he heard that so rarely out of Sanzo, it seemed almost alien. Sanzo got to his feet and removed his robe. Goku noticed that Sanzo was no longer wearing his gloves, and he wore a plain tank top instead of the turtleneck. He still noticed Sanzo pull his pistol out of his sleeve and tuck it in his back pocket as he readied himself for bed.

"So, uh, guess you loosened up, huh?" He turned and watched through the cracked bathroom door as Sanzo brushed his teeth.

"Hm?"

"Nothin'." Goku watched the gun sway with his hips as Sanzo leaned over to rinse his mouth out. "I guess I feel like I've been missin' stuff, since I'm away sometimes."

"I suppose you have." Sanzo turned off the bathroom light. "You have been 'away' more lately, haven't you?" He took an extra blanket and lay it on the floor beside the bed, and Goku nodded, then lowered his head.

"Are ya... are ya gonna ask where I've been goin'?"

"Please." Sanzo's mouth swung wide with sarcasm, and Goku flinched. Sanzo added, in a more subdued tone, "You're a chattering monkey. If you wanted to tell me, you would have told me." Goku giggled into his hands.

"You're right." He sat back as Sanzo tucked the gun in his pillowcase, and folded his arms around his knees. "Uhm... Good night, then."

"Manners? Honestly. You're trying too hard." Sanzo turned out the lamp and went to his blanket. "Just because I have changed does not mean you have to."

"You've changed?" Goku's eyes still gleamed yellow from the moonlight, and Sanzo glanced at his shadow in the dark. Goku hadn't changed in three years- the same long hair, the same long legs, the same bright, sharp teeth. His eyes, however, were the same. Sanzo rolled over and tossed the blanket over himself, his body against the floor and looking at the window, away from Goku.

"You do not need to go to sleep just because I am."

"No, I wasn't; I'm not tired right now." Sanzo heard Goku shuffle his feet. "I guess I'll just hang around until Eiji wakes up." Goku stepped over him and sat on the window, and focused on the moon. As Sanzo closed his eyes, he thought he saw Goku assume the lotus position and start to levitate no more than a hand's breadth off the ground, but he didn't think about it as he let himself drift off to sleep.

He had much to do in the morning, and Goku seemed fully able to take care of himself. Without Sanzo even noticing, he'd been doing so for quite some time.

* * *

Across town, in the quarantined flower shop, it was long past the entire household's bedtime, yet all three remained awake, all for different reasons. Hakkai was watching the clock, ready to deliver another dosage of medicine at _exactly_ six hours from the previous dose. Yohei had slept when the room had darkened, but was roused by his own painful coughing as the medicine wore off. Gojyo didn't want to sleep. He remained where he had been for virtually thirty hours straight now, at Yohei's side, in the chair, shivering every time he opened his mouth.

"You poor guy," he sighed, for what felt like the millionth time (if he counted inward thought) and wiped the blood from around his lips on his sleeve. Hakkai was certain he'd heard every single one, even though the masks muffled their voices and he wasn't yet a mind-reader. Yohei whimpered, and Gojyo reached for him. "You're okay, bud-" Yohei recoiled from his hand, and Gojyo noticed the blood smearing his palm. "Don't move, okay?" He got to his feet and went to wash his hands off. When he returned, Hakkai was spooning the medicine into his mouth.

"He's a smart boy. He didn't even fight me this time." Hakkai patted his cheek, then tucked the spoon and bottle back into his sash. Yohei stuck his tongue out at Hakkai, then started coughing again.

"Aw, don't cough it up!" Gojyo knelt partway onto the bed and patted his back. Yohei wheezed, then swallowed again.

"Yes, he must have made the connection that he doesn't hurt as much after the medicine." Hakkai stepped back, allowing Gojyo more room. Gojyo eased Yohei onto his back and settled him under the covers. "Alright, you've done enough. Where are you going to sleep?"

"I'm going to sleep?" Gojyo whipped his head around; the thought clearly had not crossed his mind.

"Well, it would be unwise to sleep in here- after all, just because you have increased resistance to illness as a hanyou does not mean you are immune." Hakkai folded his arms and tapped his elbows, clearly anxious to broach the subject. "So, perhaps you could sleep in one of the boys' beds, or on the sofa-"

"I don't think you get it. I ain't goin' to sleep." He turned his head away from Hakkai, tilting his chin towards the floor, his eyes sad, soft, and distant. "Yohei needs me here, so here I am, and here's where I'm gonna be, until he doesn't need me anymore." Yohei, already fast asleep, exhaled softly at the sound of his own name, his breath rattling in his throat, and Gojyo shivered. Hakkai realized he had to put his foot down, and did so:

"Gojyo, please don't be stupid about this." Hakkai put his hands on Gojyo's shoulders from behind, but Gojyo quickly shrugged him off, his body tense and shaking from the shoulders up.

"I am not being stupid. I am going to keep my little boy alive." Hakkai noticed that Gojyo's interlocked fingers were white and bloodless, eyes blank. He could almost completely see what Gojyo was seeing- the prison in a desolate realm, the boy in the cell on the other side of a crumbling wall, the blood bubbling from his throat until there was nothing left of him, and then everything else that had happened to him while half of his son's soul died.

"You know how you can do that?" He crouched beside Gojyo, trying to look upwards into his eyes, but though he could see Gojyo's pupils, he knew Gojyo was not seeing him. "You can be positive. You can smile for him. And for gods' sakes, you must take care of yourself. If you're exhausted, you're more likely to make mistakes that will hurt him."

"Look man, just let me stay here tonight." Gojyo finally seemed to blink back into the same room, though he still wore that hangdog, despondent sulk in the corners of his eyes and in his drooping antennae. His focus landed on Hakkai. "He's working his way through the worst of it, let me watch him." He looked back to Yohei, sighed, and slicked the sweat away from his forehead. Hakkai rose to his feet and folded his arms.

"Tomorrow, you sleep. No questions."

"As long as you promise not to leave him alone while I'm asleep," Gojyo muttered, and Hakkai giggled.

"If that's what it will take to make you comfortable, then so be it. But a watched pot never boils, my friend. Be patient. We really are doing everything we can. I'll be up in a few hours for the next dose." He looked at the clock on the bedside table one last time, and left the room. Gojyo extended his arm to extinguish the lamp, but halted himself.

"You know, buddy, Daddy's a hero." He folded his hands between his knees again. "Daddy saved the world from the bad Ox King guy, and stopped all the youkai goin' crazy, and did a whole bunch of brave and heroic stuff." He grinned, though his petulant tone didn't show it. "Daddy saved princesses and battled armies single-handedly." He didn't care that he was perhaps exaggerating the truth- they had their version, he had his, and he was telling his version to his kids. "But..." He sighed. "It ain't gonna mean a thing if I can't save you. What the fuck kind of hero am I? I ain't felt this useless in... forever, kid." Yohei's wheeze caught in his throat, before his breath evened out. Gojyo sat back, draping his arm over the back of the chair while keeping his other hand at the ready. "I'm gonna be your hero, too. That's what Daddy's for." He smiled, and was silent, listening to every sound Yohei made, every heave and whimper that escaped his throat. Yohei didn't know it, but he had a hero at his bedside, and that thought was enough to comfort Gojyo for the moment.

* * *

Eiji was waiting, awake, at Sanzo's bedside the next morning when Sanzo opened his eyes. Goku was at his side, and both were sitting cross-legged and close to the edge of the blanket. Goku was wearing a peaceful smile, still mid-meditation, though he'd changed position at least once during the night and was settled on the ground now. Eiji was trying to imitate him and sulking when he couldn't keep his foot turned upwards. However, as Sanzo became fully aware, Eiji seemed to notice, and gasped with glee.

"Papa!" He dove onto Sanzo's chest. "Papa, hungry. Big cuz boring. Breakfast?"

"Good morning to you too." He sat up, catching Eiji under his arms. "I'm going to shower first. You are going to come with me."

"Sha-wa?" Eiji looked confused. "Breakfast?"

"After. Breakfast after." Sanzo rose to his feet, but Eiji started to cry:

"But hungry now!" Sanzo groaned as Eiji squirmed and Goku came back to awareness, eyes open, thin slits quickly returning to wide, more innocent pupils.

"What did you do this time?"

"What makes you so sure I did something wrong?" Sanzo scowled at Goku around Eiji. Goku chuckled.

"Who else could it be?"

"I told him breakfast was after bath time. Now he's upset." Sanzo held Eiji out to Goku, who grinned and tapped Eiji's nose.

"Hungry?" Eiji bit his finger, and Goku laughed and snapped his hand back. "You're not really hungry." He tilted his head around Eiji. "How does Gojyo usually do it?"

"I..." Sanzo had to think. "I believe he does give them breakfast before dressing them."

"Uh-huh. And that's what he wants to happen now." Goku slapped his hands on his knees as he jumped up to his feet, and spread his arms in an oddly magnanimous gesture. "So, you either gotta give him what he wants or teach him your rules. Your call."

"My rules," Sanzo repeated, deadpan.

"Uh-huh! See, everything has rules. I had to learn the rules, 'member?" Goku grinned his toothy grin and shoved his hands in his pockets. "Don't go here, don't go there, don't climb that tree, don't leave this room."

"You never listened to a single one of those things!" Sanzo snapped back, arching his back like a put-out cat.

"Yeah, but they were rules you wanted me to follow," Goku observed with a sly grin. "Gojyo has rules at his house- not like written down or spelled out, just that this happens then, this happens now; we do this, then that."

"Ah." Sanzo frowned, then looked between Goku and Eiji. "And you know this, how?"

"Talked to the goddess last night." Goku grinned childishly and offered a peppy thumbs-up to Sanzo, whose glare shifted into a bitter glower. "Hey, don't knock it- she's told me a lot of stuff! You just gotta learn how to ask." Sanzo huffed indignantly and got to his feet, Eiji still in his arms.

"Next time, ask her how monkey brains taste." He started to stalk out, but Eiji erupted into a wail.

"Papa, why?!"

"Papa's house, Papa's rules," Sanzo instinctively retorted, and slung Eiji over his shoulder as he skulked out, shoulders hunched and a glare accentuating his more serious features. Goku giggled and followed.

Sanzo had not taken into account that Eiji had never taken a shower before, and it was far too early for him to argue him through all the finer points of "lather, rinse, and stop playing with the goddamn soap." Instead, he scrubbed himself in the temple's large, collective shower, as Eiji splashed in the water running down the drain. Goku took the opportunity to strip and wash a few shower spigots away, watching father and son out of the corner of his eye. Once Sanzo finished washing himself, he came up with a plan of action. He slowly slipped behind Eiji, footfalls patting against the tiles, weapon (or bar of soap, depending on your point of view) in hand, like a hunter approaching prey. The splashing of his feet in the water would have alerted any deer or more aware individual, one who knew they were the hunted, but Eiji was far too fascinated by the precepts of gravity on display. Sanzo braced himself, aware of every rustling leaf outside and every droplet of water inside. Goku tittered into his hand, anxious with the tension. Sanzo took a few settling breaths, Eiji still slapping his palm on the ground against the water streaming down and out. He braced himself, then rushed and hooked Eiji under his arms and lifted him up by his chest with one hand. He rubbed the soap all over his stomach and arms, already ignoring the screaming, until he realized it was not screaming.

Eiji was laughing himself into a fit. Sanzo smirked- he didn't even realize he had lost this battle- and lathered Eiji as quickly as he could. Once soaped, he pivoted on his heel and thrust Eiji directly under the shower head. Eiji spluttered as some of the water ran into his mouth, but kept laughing. Sanzo sighed with relief and set Eiji down under the running water, and knelt to soap his hair. Eiji's giggling slowed and settled while Sanzo rubbed the last of the soap off of him.

"Ta-da." This exhortation was accompanied with none of the usual fanfare or excitement the phrase usually held, but it was hard to expect more from Sanzo. "All done. That's a shower."

"Shawa great!" Eiji laughed back, and Sanzo carried him out, wearing his victory plain on his face.

The next battle was getting dressed. Sanzo couldn't be mad at Gojyo for limiting his options on this front- he was sure that Eiji's bag had been packed in a rush, in the dark, and it could be excused that he'd only tossed three shirts, two pairs of pants, seven pairs of underwear, and three socks (none matching) into the little pack. The trouble was that Eiji did not seem to like a single one of them.

"What do you like?" Sanzo asked again, sitting back as Eiji pored over two of the shirts, a red one with a yellow duck on it, and a blue sweater with green stripes. Eiji looked at him, then between the shirts once more. Goku watched from his perch beside the window. Eiji picked up the red shirt, then threw it down.

"Does Daddy let you choose?" Goku asked. Eiji chewed his lower lip, and Goku slid off the sill and selected the red shirt. "I like red on you." He shoved it on over Eiji's head, and sat back as Eiji struggled against the sleeves, giggling as he hopped in place to get his arms in the holes.

"I was trying to let him think for himself." Sanzo scowled at Goku, hunching his back and pulling his knees to eye level.

"Aw, you know he'll let you know when he wants to think for himself!" Goku chuckled as Sanzo yanked Eiji closer with one arm and started to fix his shirt. "Gojyo usually yanks them out of bed and wrestles them into whatever clothes he can grab."

"Fine." He released a shirted Eiji, picked a pair of pants, and shifted his legs into a crouching position under him. He tried to imagine how Gojyo would approach it, but he had a small revelation during their shared shower. He lifted onto the balls of his feet, and lunged at the toddler. He tackled him to the ground and pinned him with an armbar to the chest, and as Eiji burst into laughter and kicked his legs up, Sanzo shoved his pants on both legs with all his force, then lifted him by the belt loops and closed the zipper. Eiji was still laughing, and Goku applauded.

"That's not how he does it, but I like your way better." He jumped up, clapping his heels together as he did. "And now that we're dressed, we can have breakfast!"

Sanzo shuddered at the thought. The memories of the previous night were still fresh, and he could already feel his hands itching with guilt.

* * *

Breakfast was hell- only because Yohei didn't want to eat. It seemed Yohei was worse today than the day before, because instead of laying prone and only sitting up when coughing, he was curled up and coughing into his knees, only looking up when forced. Gojyo had prepared, at Hakkai's instructions, very wet and easily digestible cereal and was trying to force it into him, but every time he managed to get Yohei's mouth out of his thighs, Yohei took one look and started to cry.

"What am I doing to you, buddy?" Gojyo pleaded as he took hold of sobbing, shuddering Yohei and lifted his head again. Yohei screamed and buried his face back in his legs. "Does it hurt?"

"Let me see." Gojyo wasn't sure when Hakkai had returned from washing his hands, but he was grateful when he stepped in and lifted his chin out. Yohei screamed again, writhing back, but Hakkai kept a firm grip and opened Yohei's eyelid wide. "Oh dear." He clicked his tongue and released Yohei. He took up the medicine bottle and held it out to Gojyo. "I was worried about this- read the side effects."

Gojyo hadn't yet thought about the medicine- it was just a brown bottle offered by the doctor that promised relief of the symptoms and the death of the bacteria, full of bitter, malodorous liquor that Yohei hated to pieces. Only now did he even attempt to find out what it was.

"Ery... Eryth... ro... This ain't even a word." He skipped down to the listed side effects. "Uh... diarrhea- great, like I need that- nausea, abdominal pain..." He turned around to Hakkai. "You think he's got a tummy ache?"

"Read on," Hakkai urged. He was sitting down on the bed beside Yohei, and was slowly pulling him into his lap. Yohei seemed to be resisting, but Hakkai's hand on his back seemed to be calming him. Gojyo turned his nose up and read on.

"Vomiting- we've got that covered, fuck's sake- heart arrhythm... arrhythmia?"

"Lower."

"Yeah, but what is that?"

"You don't want to know." Hakkai was soothing Yohei with a gentle backrub, drawing him further and further into his grasp, and Gojyo gritted his teeth.

"May affect central nervous system, including nightmares, night sweats, and psychotic-" Gojyo felt his jaw slack and hang open. "Psychotic reactions. We're giving this shit to my fucking kid?!" He threw the bottle down onto the bed.

"It's the best medicine available, and those effects are relatively uncommon." Hakkai had worked Yohei into a full hug, rocking him against his chest. "But if I had to hazard a guess, just looking at his dilated pupils and his terror of everything he sees, your little boy is hallucinating something fierce."

"So my kid is tripping balls." Gojyo slouched in the chair.

"Yes." Hakkai beamed. "It would be funnier in any other circumstance. Right now, this seems to be comforting him." Gojyo noticed just how tight Hakkai's grip on Yohei's arms and back was- afraid he would flail at him or otherwise hurt himself. Hakkai's eyes softened, his sympathetic smile evident even under the mask. "I know that some children with mental disturbances are put into snug clothing or wrapped tight in blankets when they have an episode. You could probably wrap him up tight when he starts to panic. I think the tactile sensation might help ground him."

"That's my job, man." Gojyo shifted from the chair to the bed, but Hakkai shook his head.

"I've got him. Releasing him now may be disastrous." He patted Yohei's back. "While he's calm, try and get something into him. We may have few opportunities."

"Dude." Gojyo's eyes widened with a revelation. "The coughing only stops right after he takes the medicine- but if he's gonna freak out whenever he takes it-"

"We're going to have to do our best." Hakkai stroked Yohei's hair, as Gojyo sidled around to the other side of the bed, cereal in one hand, spoon in the other. Hakkai hoisted Yohei's head over his shoulder. Gojyo noticed that Yohei's eyes were closed and his mouth was open, and took the chance to spoon some of the mush in. Yohei gulped, and stuck his tongue out.

"Monstehs," he mumbled around his tongue, and pushed his face into Hakkai's shoulders.

"That's right," Gojyo found himself inexplicably saying, leaning forward with another spoonful ready and an exhausted smile under his mask. Hakkai shifted his weight, exposing Yohei's face again. "Daddy-monster. Daddy-monster's gonna fatten you up for his dinner, so you gotta open wide." Yohei whined, and Gojyo put the spoon in his open mouth. "I don't care if you think I got six heads and three eyes, you're gonna eat for Daddy." He yanked the spoon out, and some of the mush dripped out with it. Gojyo wiped it off of his chin with his hand and readied another spoonful. "Tickle him or something- we gotta get him to open his mouth somehow."

There was a loud knock from down below, and Gojyo and Yohei both moaned. Hakkai shushed Yohei, and looked over his other shoulder to Gojyo. "Go talk to him. Maybe he'll be calmer when you get back." He slid one hand up to Yohei's throat and rubbed it until he swallowed. Gojyo sighed and got to his feet, dusting his pants off.

"Better wash my face and stuff first."

"Hands first, then face."

"You don't need to remind me." Gojyo rolled his eyes and shuffled out, still casting eyes back at Yohei cuddled in Hakkai's arms as he left. Hakkai hushed him under his breath, though he'd made no noise, and pressed his eyes against Yohei's shoulder.

"Poor, poor, darling boy..."

* * *

"He pitched a massive fit at breakfast. Again." Sanzo was holding Eiji's hand as the pair stood outside the flower shop window, Sanzo rigid and irritated, Eiji sulking, eyes red and face streaked. Sanzo was smoking with his free hand, glaring at the space directly below Gojyo's eyes through the window. "He won't eat the rice. He threw the chopsticks at the wall, screamed in the face of Goku and myself. Then they started talking gibberish to one another." Gojyo seemed to be listening as Sanzo recounted most of the morning to him, though his eyes were lidded and his arms were folded around a pad of paper. Sanzo could see the stains on his shirt, and that his clothes hadn't changed since the previous day. Still, he continued, "He actually ate something this time, but only after I took him from the table and Goku babbled him into it." Sanzo saw Gojyo start scribbling on the pad, and held it up:

'That's good. He ate. Wanna switch?'

Sanzo pursed his lips for a moment. "I suppose not. How is he?" Gojyo held his pen at the ready for a moment, then wrote:

'Same as yesterday. Coughing. Trouble eating.' Gojyo scribbled a little more once Sanzo finished reading, and offered, 'Less vomiting today.'

"Good." Sanzo nodded, and glanced down at Eiji, who shuffled his feet on the ground. "Say hi to your Daddy." Eiji looked up at Gojyo, then stuck out his tongue. Gojyo frowned, then pulled his mask off and leaned close to the window, and spoke audibly.

"You mad at Daddy, guy?" He pressed his palm against the glass, but Sanzo pounded his fist in response.

"Put that back on!" Sanzo couldn't keep flecks of spittle off his lips as he pounded on the glass a few more times. "I will not have you getting sick!" Gojyo laughed, and pulled the mask back on. He scrawled another note down:

'You're right. But he's all the way upstairs.' Gojyo glanced over his shoulder, and wrote another message. 'Could you at least tell the kid I love him?'

"He knows." Sanzo patted Eiji's shoulder, and Eiji clung to his leg and shoved his thumb in his mouth. Gojyo's eyes softened into a smile, but for a second, Sanzo could see tears gathering at the corners. He shook his head, and looked down at his pad to write another note:

'Anything else?'

"Is there any way we can get some toys or books, perhaps clothes?" He glanced between Eiji and Gojyo. "He's terribly bored, and I don't have a lot to put him in."

Gojyo shook his head, and wrote beneath his last message: 'Everything in here's gonna have to be sanitized before they're allowed to handle it again. All the clothes, sheets, boiled. Books discarded.' Sanzo scowled.

"All the books?" Gojyo nodded, and Sanzo pinched the bridge of his nose. "If you have time, please make a list of all the books in our repertoire. I'll replace them." Gojyo nodded, and scribbled a thumbs-up on the pad. "For now, I'll just get some new ones."

'Sorry. Wish I'd thought to send some stuff.' Gojyo tapped the pad as he held it up again. Sanzo scoffed under his breath.

"You had more to worry about." Gojyo cocked his head, and scrawled a question mark- he hadn't heard him. "It's nothing," Sanzo added, louder. "You look like you need sleep. Go do that." He set his hand on the glass, fingers spread, and Gojyo matched the gesture. Sanzo could almost feel the warmth of his hand, and his insides took a chill as he withdrew his palm and took hold of Eiji once again. "We'll see you later." He looked down. "Eiji, wave." Eiji waved to Gojyo, still keeping his thumb in his mouth, and Gojyo drew a big heart on the pad, and wrote in the center:

'Ei + Kou'

Sanzo didn't realize he was smiling, but he could feel the sorrow ebb in his heart as he led Eiji away.

* * *

While he hadn't intended to spend his visit complaining, Sanzo felt a twinge of guilt that he had. He had wanted to ask for the books, toys, and clothes, and continue on his merry way, but he'd let his frustration get the better of him. He decided to get back on track, and picked up some books and toys he knew Eiji liked, as well as some new clothing. He selected a few for Yohei as well (since it wouldn't be fair to get some for one and not the other) and returned to the temple to let Eiji do what he did best- play until he was exhausted.

To Sanzo's surprise, Goku had given him the key to getting Eiji on track- the routine: "We do this, then that." Gojyo had a routine for the boys- eat breakfast, get dressed, play, lunch, play, dinner, play, bath, story time, sleep. Perhaps it wasn't always like that, not exactly, and perhaps it was simple, but it was a fairly stable pattern, and the boys knew what to expect without confusion. Sanzo decided that he had to make the routine as similar as possible in order to keep Eiji steady.

"Papa's house, Papa's rules," he muttered both to Eiji and himself whenever Eiji complained. Sanzo preferred to shower first, but Eiji found it a novelty and raced Sanzo to the shower the second day. Then, breakfast, play, lunch, play, nap, play, dinner, story time, and sleep. It took Eiji all of three days to get used to the new system, and Sanzo couldn't be happier.

He also knew it important to keep Eiji's mind busy- anything to keep his mind off of Gojyo and Yohei, or to keep him from being bored. He didn't have to be told this- he had experienced the pain of a bored monkey, and he knew the boys had minds like animals, which Goku had only further proven. He was, however, loathe to buy a whole host of new toys; he did not want to give Gojyo and Hakkai more to clean up. 'Besides,' he reasoned, 'their collection is extensive as it is.' Instead, he got a few extras of Eiji's favorites, excusing it as annexing what they already had. More stacking blocks- 'Now, they'll never have to argue over who needs more-' more wooden horses- 'One set for each side of the battle-' and a stack of drawing paper and crayons- 'It's disposable anyway.' With this in hand, Goku could easily keep Eiji occupied for an hour at a stretch while Sanzo tended to temple business, switching activities whenever Eiji got tired of one (at Sanzo's behest.)

"If he tires of these, you have my permission to take him for walks around the temple gardens," he instructed before setting off for the sanctuary.

"What about outside?" Goku gestured to the temple gates, and Sanzo shook his head.

"You and he are only allowed out with myself escorting." He patted Goku's shoulder. "But I will take you out every day. You must hold me to that."

Sanzo didn't even need Goku's reminders- he took Eiji out for a long walk off temple grounds every morning and afternoon, always down the block to the flower shop, sometimes to the park for some time on the swings or slide, sometimes just around the block a couple times. Goku would come along most of the time, and he and Eiji would talk the entire time. It all sounded like nonsense to Sanzo, but he seemed happy, and the exercise did tire him out- 'Like walking a dog.' However, when Eiji did veer away from Goku to grab onto Sanzo's hand during their walk, it was satisfying.

"Ne, Papa! We go back a'morrow, ne? Ne?" Eiji smiled, showing his teeth in a big grin, almost identical to Gojyo's.

"We will see. For now, let's say yes." Sanzo wrapped his fingers around Eiji's palm, and Eiji giggled and turned behind him to say something to Goku, before looking back up at Sanzo.

"I like'a park, Papa." It was such a simple, sweet kind of smile that Sanzo had to return it.

"That's nice."

Certainly, things weren't perfect- Eiji still didn't understand the world around him, and this could lead to issues. Sanzo had devised his way of dealing with difficulties when Eiji did have an issue- perhaps sterner than Gojyo would have allowed, but it worked.

This time, it was an accident. Eiji was tagging along behind Sanzo as he surveyed the boxes going out, and one of the monks didn't see him and tripped over him. Eiji, of course, started to cry, but he also seemed to have picked up another trick from Yohei and started trying to hit the monk in the legs. Sanzo hitched Eiji under his arms and dragged him into the storage room. "In the corner." He set Eiji there, and took a bar of soap out of his sleeve pocket. Eiji wailed and clung to the walls, but Sanzo crouched in front of him, looming over him and covering him in his own shadow. "Say 'ah.'"

"Uhn-uh!" Eiji covered his mouth with his hands.

"Ah," Sanzo insisted flatly, and bored into him with eyes like drills until Eiji dropped his hands and Sanzo put the soap on his tongue. "Two minutes." He stood back and continued to stare, silently numbering the seconds. Eiji whimpered like a wounded dog as he sucked on the soap, but spit it out after forty-five seconds. Sanzo picked it up and crouched by Eiji again in a single motion. "Now, we have to start over. Ah." Eiji shrieked and stomped his feet, but Sanzo shoved the soap back in and turned him back towards the wall. "Two minutes." Sanzo counted again, as Eiji sniffled and whimpered for one hundred and twenty seconds, but the count went uninterrupted. "Done." Sanzo got on his knees and turned Eiji around. "Eiji, do we hit?"

"N-no." Eiji tipped his head side to side like a dog shaking off water. Sanzo sighed, releasing his stress and weariness.

"Okay. Good. We can wash your tongue now." As he took Eiji to the washroom and rinsed his mouth out, he still felt the guilt. "You'll understand someday."

The main trouble Sanzo still had, after five days of practice, was mealtimes. Meals were always silent and simple, and Eiji never liked what was on the table. Every single meal was a tantrum waiting to happen, and for every single meal, it did happen, and it was almost virtually identical every time:

"No no no! Hate it! Hate it!" Eiji would shriek, twisting from Sanzo's grasp and throwing himself on the ground. He kicked the bowl, he threw food across the table, and Sanzo would wrest him from the room to a peal of laughter from behind him.

Even the two-minute cool-off with soap wasn't enough to calm Eiji down for mealtimes- Eiji screamed and cried all the same, until Sanzo fell to begging: "You must calm down. You can't keep doing this. Please stop screaming." It took nearly an hour sometimes for Eiji to tire and wear himself out. He only ate when Goku forced him snacks after these episodes. Sanzo hated listening to their nonsense talk when they had their quiet, conspiratorial conversations over raw carrots and apples. Worse, he knew he had to resort to visiting the other side of the battlefield.

* * *

Over a period of six days, Gojyo had slept less than a total of fourteen hours. Hakkai forced him onto the sofa to rest at least once a day, but Gojyo couldn't sleep with Yohei coughing. He would try, but he would toss and turn to the rhythm of his wheezing lungs, and eventually lie awake and hold his breath as Hakkai comforted him. Even when he slept, he got no rest, always dreaming his way back into the cell and watching Ryuji crumble into dust, over and over and over.

Being awake was little better until around day three. Gojyo was cuddling Yohei through one of his hallucinations, holding him in his lap as he screamed and flailed and cried against what Yohei always described as "Monstehs!" Then, a coughing fit started, and Gojyo braced himself for something to come out of one of his orifices. Without restraint, Gojyo hugged him tight, feeling his chest bluster like a bellows, until he released one big hack and whooped air back into him. He took a few more deep breaths, catching up with himself, and Gojyo realized that his shirt and pants both remained dry- Yohei hadn't spit blood, he hadn't urinated, and he hadn't retched.

"Check it out, buddy," Gojyo whispered into his ear as he wrapped his arms around Yohei again. "I don't even need a new shirt this time. You're gettin' better."

Progress was still slow. The cough was unrelenting, and the hallucinations came back for the two hours after each spoonful of medicine. Neither Gojyo nor Hakkai left his side often, only to clean or rest what little they could. They were either holding him, helping him to the washroom and back, or reading him stories.

"If we have to burn all these next week, we might as well enjoy 'em while we can," Gojyo muttered as he carried another stack of storybooks into the room. He had no idea just how many children's books they'd had in the house, but even after six days, he had found another cache and knew it wouldn't be spared.

"Daddy?" Yohei sat up, straining his back against his weakened muscles. "Daddy, wanna play."

"Ah, kiddo." Gojyo rubbed his eyes with one hand, chest aching. "You gotta stay in bed." Hakkai, however, dodged from the room and returned with his arms loaded with horses and soldiers.

"He can play in bed. We're going to clean the toys anyway." He lay all the toys down on Yohei's lap, eyes smiling. "Here you are, sweetie. We'll play." Gojyo set the books down and edged forward.

"Bro, you really think-" Gojyo extended his hand as Yohei grabbed a horse in each hand, and Hakkai whirled around and seized Gojyo's shirt in both hands.

"He has not asked to play before. He has not had the energy to play." Hakkai's eyes were wide and bloodshot, his voice unsteady. "Let him play."

"Bro..." Gojyo gaped, and patted his shoulder. Yohei's illness had hit Hakkai hard too. When facing him, he maintained his smile, his calm, his cool, but whenever he left the room, Gojyo could see him shaking, could hear his voice break, could see him breaking down. "You need a break more than I do." He put Hakkai into his chair and set a horse in his hand. "You guys have fun." He went down to the kitchen to make him a pot of tea.

The refrigerator had been kept full only by the daily deliveries from the temple, with fresh meat, dairy, and vegetables packed up in ice and snow and left at the door. It was the only time they were allowed to open the door at all, and Gojyo rather relished the cool breeze across his face for the split second he felt it. Though tea was not provided, Hakkai had a rather extensive stock. The five minutes it took the water to boil was the first break Gojyo had taken all day. He took a few seconds to take stock of everything.

"Even Hakkai's starting to crack," he muttered, though he noticed his voice shake in his throat. He caught a cough into the crook of his elbow. "But," he wheezed as he took a deep breath. "Yo's gettin' better. We're gonna make it. Just gotta double my efforts." He pulled his mask off, glanced inside, and reached for a new one from the supply box. "And double again. No matter what."

With renewed strength, Gojyo returned to the bedroom with the tea cup and a few sugar cubes wrapped in a napkin. Hakkai took the cup Gojyo offered in grateful, shaking hands.

"We're both wearing a bit thin, aren't we?" He laughed into his cup.

"I have no idea how you do it." Gojyo shook his head. He took Hakkai's place, galloping a horse across Yohei's knees and legs. "You smile and smile the whole time you deal with him."

"I let it out elsewhere." Hakkai shivered, knuckles white around the teacup. "Truth be told, I'm quite scared."

"You gotta work on that, man." Gojyo set up a few more soldiers, and Yohei knocked them down onto the quilt.

"I know, we're doing what we can, I shouldn't let my fear get the better of me-"

"No, man, hiding how you feel. You've been like this for years, and you need to quit it, at least with me. Just feel your feelings." Gojyo chuckled, and raced his horse up Yohei's shoulders. "Chicks dig a guy who can be sensitive and shit."

"You're one to talk. And do mind your language." Hakkai's even smile returned, eyes soft and only slightly wet.

"Hey, at least I got someone." Gojyo smirked. As if on cue, there was a knock from below. "Alright, be back in a few, buddy." He brushed his mask against Yohei's cheek, and Yohei pushed him back.

"No kiss, Daddy."

"Little jerk." Gojyo smirked and cuffed him across the shoulder, and strode from the room.

Sanzo came around every day during his morning walk, sometimes with Eiji, sometimes without. They would exchange for about ten minutes, Gojyo going through reams of paper and updating him on Yohei's status, Sanzo trying not to raise his voice when discussing his troubles with Eiji. Today, of course, Sanzo came alone and ready to confess that he still couldn't deal with the tantrums, feeling his pride drain as Gojyo listened over folded arms and through the glass.

"He kicks and screams and cries whenever we're at meals. Goku keeps insisting that he's just not used to it, but it's been nearly a week!" Gojyo rolled his eyes and held up a reply:

'Kids don't adjust to stuff that easily. You've been lucky it's been so easy this long.'

"I need to know the secret. Just spell it out for me!" Sanzo folded his hands and bowed his head. Gojyo considered this, shoulders shuddering, then doubled at the waist in laughter. Sanzo huffed, steam rising from a dragon's nostrils, and Gojyo scrawled down his reply, wiping away jovial tears from his eyes:

'You walk away.'

Sanzo read the rest out loud. "Do not engage, as this encourages the behavior. Do not interact, do not look at him, do not talk to him. When they do that, they're looking for attention." Sanzo threw his hands to his sides, and Gojyo put the pad down. "You honestly think I can just leave him alone and just let him do as he pleases? Do you know how many plates he's broken?"

'Don't go far.' Gojyo offered, then added on another page, 'Just watch from a distance, or without looking right at him. He'll realize you aren't paying attention and calm down.'

"Easy for you to say," Sanzo grumbled into his collar. Gojyo tapped the window, then his ear. Sanzo looked Gojyo straight on again. "It's nothing. How's Yohei?" Gojyo cocked an eyebrow, but wrote:

'Better. Less blood in cough. Not vomiting anymore. Fine soon.' Sanzo noticed Gojyo turn away for a moment, then heard a wheezing noise from inside, deeper and heavier than before. He noticed Gojyo shivering, and looked at his feet.

"Please tell him I love him and want him to get better." Sanzo couldn't meet Gojyo's eyes, but spoke loud enough that he could hear. He looked up to see Gojyo, strangely pale and holding the reply:

'He knows. I'll remind him. Better go.' He tore the page off, and drew a heart. Sanzo sighed deeply, and formed his hands into the shape of a heart against his chest. Gojyo's whole face softened with a smile, and he bounded away up the stairs. Sanzo dropped his hands when Gojyo vanished, thinking as he dragged himself back up the street.

Inside, Gojyo settled himself beside the bed once more. Yohei was still happily playing with Hakkai, who turned over his shoulder with a sad frown as Gojyo pulled off his mask.

"What was that noise- what are you doing?" He watched as Gojyo dropped his mask into the wastebasket.

"I need a clean one," he murmured, and picked up a fresh mask from a box beside the bed. Hakkai flinched when he looked inside, and dropped his horses.

"You- you're telling me about hiding things?!" He stared at Gojyo, horror in his eyes, then rushed from the room, and Gojyo settled himself back into the chair.

"Daddy's back, big guy." Gojyo smiled around his clean mask, but Yohei watched after Hakkai curiously. "Don't you worry about him, kiddo." He shifted his mask up to kiss Yohei on the cheek, then back down on his cheeks. "Daddy's with you."

* * *

Tofu was Sanzo's worst nightmare, as it wiggled on the plate before Eiji. This, he knew, would be the test. Eiji started to cry as soon as Sanzo picked up his chopsticks. "Will you eat?" Eiji shrieked and threw the plate. Sanzo got up, whisked him out of the dining hall and to the courtyard directly outside, set him down on the ground, returned inside and shut the door behind him. Eiji screamed at the door, but Sanzo scooped up a cube of tofu and glanced around at the other monks. "Ignore him." He didn't have to tell them twice, and not one of the monks moved after Eiji. Less than a minute later, there was a scratching on the rice paper.

"Papa?" Eiji whimpered through the door, and tapped the frame. "Papa, lemme in?"

Sanzo made him wait two minutes before opening the door. He met Eiji at eye level again, as Eiji wiped his face dry. "We eat dinner quietly."

"Uh huh." Eiji rubbed his nose and nodded. He sat at his spot beside Sanzo and gummed chunks of tofu down with tears in his eyes and no more complaints.

Sanzo had never felt crueler, but there was no more screaming. When he went the next day to visit Gojyo, he was met by Hakkai, who explained with his neat handwriting that Gojyo could not come to the door and promised to pass the message on. He did mention that Yohei was recovering very well, and did so every time he saw him. However, after three days of success and not seeing Gojyo once (always being told that he was busy), he was having trouble reconciling the victory of calming the tantrums with the rotten feeling that he'd somehow restricted Eiji without Gojyo's encouragement.

He had trouble comparing the boy from ten days ago to this one- the wild child who threw things and spoke in his own language, to the one who obediently followed at his side. He had tamed a wild beast, but weren't wild animals happier to be free? Perhaps, he thought, it was wrong be so hard on him. He did manage to dismiss the thought after the thirteenth day, during their trip to the park.

Eiji had not cried or resisted when Sanzo had dressed him in jacket, scarf, coat, and mittens. He had held Sanzo's hand the whole walk, stayed at his side, and talked to him the entire time about nothing Sanzo could accurately discern. Goku followed behind, whistling to himself and giggling as he listened to Eiji.

"You know, you could at least talk back!" Goku suggested, and Sanzo took a few steps further down the sidewalk away from him, snorting under his breath as Eiji bounded to keep pace.

"He seems to be doing just fine himself." Sanzo squeezed Eiji's hand in his.

It was peaceful, an unusual situation, and the crisp air cleared Sanzo's head. This let Sanzo do the math- he was screaming less, because he had less reason to scream. He was cooperating, and he was learning to make sense of the world. Simple morality, perhaps- "We do not do this because Papa says so-" but it was enough. Eiji understood the rules and routine now, and he still was able to have fun. The wide smile was back on Eiji's face, and he tugged Sanzo's arm towards the sandbox. This was the best part- he didn't dread being alone with Eiji anymore.

In fact, he was almost sad to see his wicked little monster go home.

* * *

**(Suggested Track: "Love Song," The Cure)**

On the last day of the marked fourteen days, Eiji woke with the sun and waited for Sanzo. Goku had slept later than usual, deeper than his usual, but Eiji amused himself with the coloring books until Sanzo woke up. Sanzo looked at his pictures before scooping Eiji up under the arms.

"Is this Daddy?" He asked, looking at the red and yellow all over the page.

"Me an' you!" Eiji chirruped, looking up at him with a big smile. Sanzo let himself smile, then hauled him off for their shower.

After they dressed and ate breakfast- with no trouble- Sanzo let Eiji continue to color as Sanzo repacked his knapsack and loaded an extra crate with the new things he'd purchased. The little bits of chatter and sing-song chirrups that Eiji made were oddly endearing- another reminder that he would miss seeing Eiji like this every day. 'It's not like he's going away forever,' Sanzo reminded himself. 'He's just going home, and I can visit any time.' Yet, he now worried that he would miss all of Eiji's best qualities under the hustle, bustle, and noise of the flower shop. 'I'll just have to look harder... or be there in the mornings again.' With Eiji's things packed, he sat back and watched for a few minutes as Eiji kept coloring and singing to himself.

Goku roused in time to help Sanzo carry the crate out, letting Sanzo carry the knapsack in the crook of his elbow and let Eiji ride piggy-back on his shoulders, hands buried in his hair and carrying on his vague, half-nonsense conversation. Sanzo decided he had to at least try and acknowledge him:

" Papa, I saw a bai-gooz, an' a weckt!"

"Is that so?" Sanzo glanced briefly up, bouncing his heels on the sidewalk. Eiji giggled at the jiggling.

"Yeah, an' za ox-man cawd de coah, an' I tol' him, no!"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah!" Eiji beamed. "Papa, it was coo'!"

"I'm sure." Sanzo turned down the street towards the flower shop. "Sounds like a nice adventure. Was this in your dream, or your drawings?" Eiji didn't answer, but rubbed his chin on Sanzo's scalp. Sanzo adjusted him further up on his shoulders. "Still. Sounds fun."

"N... nyeah."

"Yeah." He stopped in front of the shop, staring up at the familiar storefront. He noticed that all of the quarantine signs were still up. He set Eiji down next to Goku as the latter caught up. "Today, Yohei will be all better."

"All bedder?"

"All better." Sanzo patted Eiji's hand. "Wait with your cousin." He approached and knocked on the door. An unfamiliar man in a paper gown, mask, and a hairnet approached the door- Sanzo quickly guessed that he was a doctor. 'He must just be finishing examining Yohei.' The doctor turned behind him, and he noticed Hakkai coming down the stairs, still wearing his mask, but he could just hear their muffled voices. The doctor opened the door.

"I'm sorry, High Priest, but I can't let you in."

"What?" Sanzo's heart sank. "What's happened? What's happened to Yohei?" Sanzo tried to look around the doctor as he turned behind him and crouched down.

"You mean this Yohei?" The doctor turned back around, lifting Yohei, dressed in faded, clean clothes and a face mask, from behind him. He stepped out and shut the front door. Yohei squealed as he saw Sanzo, and yanked his mask off.

"Papa!" He dove into Sanzo's arms, and Sanzo caught him against his chest.

"Do you feel better?" Sanzo asked, and adjusted him so he could meet his eyes.

"Uh-huh!" Yohei smiled, then turned to cough softly into his hands. He wheezed loudly, and Sanzo's eyes twitched.

"This is feeling better?"

"He must be most excited to see you," the doctor chuckled as he pulled off his mask and hairnet, letting his wrinkled cheeks gleam with glee. "The whooping may persist a few weeks more, when he's out of breath and such, but he's not contagious anymore."

"Fine. Then why can't I-" Sanzo noticed Hakkai moving behind the doctor as he changed the handwritten sign in the window:

_"Due to the illness of our florist..."_

"Oh no." Sanzo couldn't stop the horror from creeping across his face.

"Yes, seems the boy's chief caretaker picked it up." The doctor lowered his eyes. "But his case is mild, at worst, and he's gotten through the worst of it already." He put his paper overwear into the trash can beside the house, shaking his head. "Still, amazing that he had the strength to stay at the boy's side, as heavily medicated as he has been. He should be fine in a week, though. I was told to remove the young man, that you could be trusted with him. Mr. Cho mentioned that you've been supervising his brother." Sanzo still stared at the windows, his breath aching in his lungs.

"Do you have any more of those paper gowns? I want to go in."

Gojyo lay in his own bed again, staring at the walls as the paint flaked away millimeter by millimeter into the black hole positioned about a meter from his bedside. Strange, how they never seemed to vanish completely- at least, he thought, it was better than seeing monsters. The sensation of a fist clamped around his chest had only rarely let up for the past week, and even the new medicine the doctor had given them didn't seem to be helping very much. He was, however, worried that the hallucinations might become stronger with the stronger medicine. He was already feeling a snake creeping into his hand, cold and clammy, until he realized it was another hand.

"You idiot," Sanzo's voice whispered in the distance. Gojyo squinted through the sweat on his brow to see Sanzo there, wearing a doctor's garb and his usual sour look. "You got yourself sick?"

"Must'a got it that first night," Gojyo wheezed, though his lips slipped into a smile. "Didn't know we needed masks. Little bastard didn't know not to cough on me."

"Now I must worry over you, too?" Sanzo ran his thumb over Gojyo's knuckles, a frown still creasing his cheeks.

"I'll take my medicine ev'ry day. Like a good boy." Gojyo laughed weakly. "Look, you did fine with Ei. Just do the same for Yo. I'm sorry I can't help you right now, but I'm kind of tripping balls."

"You're what?"

"The medicine's makin' me see stuff. I dunno if it has aftershocks, so Yohei might still have nightmares." Gojyo coughed, raising his free hand to his lips to catch it. Sanzo clenched his hand tight as he gasped for air and smeared the blood away. "If he does- the secret, right now- just hug him until it stops."

"I will." With that, Sanzo leaned in and embraced Gojyo tight around the chest. The paper gown rustled as Sanzo pulled Gojyo's wan form against his own. "Let this feeling last, then. I need you better. I have much to teach you now."

"You fucking jackass." Gojyo laughed as Sanzo slowly, gingerly let him down. "Get the hell out. If you get Eiji sick, I will come out there and... fix yer face, or somethin'." He curled down against the mattress as Sanzo pulled the blanket back over him. Gojyo released his hand and folded them behind his head, and Sanzo pulled himself from Gojyo's side, looking over his shoulder as he left the room. The sound of Sanzo's footsteps descending were as even as a heartbeat, but his measured pace did not match his own frantic beat. He pressed his hands to his heart. "Don't you start actin' up on me too."

Hakkai locked Sanzo out after his discarded his mask and gown, and washed his hands. The doctor had kept hold of Eiji while Goku was catching up with Yohei. He passed the boy back off to him with a smile and the reassurance, "He'll be just fine in a week. He'll be miserable, but he'll be fine."

"I'm certain." Sanzo narrowed his eyes at the thought, but resigned himself. "Thank you." He rejoined Goku and Yohei. "We're all going back to the temple together."

"Awright!" Goku beamed, polishing his bicep. "We get both little cousins all to ourselves!" He hoisted the crate back into his arms, and Sanzo set Yohei on top of it.

"So we do." He lifted Eiji back to his shoulders. "Well, Eiji, seems we must teach Yohei the rules at Papa's house now."

"Rules?" Yohei leaned forward, raising his eyebrows, until Goku shifted him further back onto the crate.

"Rules." Sanzo hid a smirk, facing forward. Even with a new foe on the battlefront, the day was already his. He glanced over his shoulder at the shop windows, littered with fluttering yellow tape and white notices like the worst parade he could ever imagine, one last time.

_He will overcome this too. I can trust him with that much._

* * *

**End Notes:** Okay, just a notice here. Otakon is in two weeks, and I'm going, so I will not have access to a computer that Friday. In addition, I've fallen WAY behind on writing. So, we're going to have a one week delay on the next chapter. I'm really sorry about this, guys. Check back in three weeks for the continuation!

Next time, we bring in a new face, and an old face or two. Until then, leave a review!


	14. Love Through the Glass

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author Notes:** Aaaaaand we're back. Man, it's been a fast three weeks! I will admit, I didn't get quite as far as I wanted, except I got some really good ideas for material- thanks as always to my reviewers!

Review responses!

Airenya- Yeesh, you were under quarantine before, huh? I'm glad you made it out okay! I can't imagine living through something like that, I've only ever seen stuff on TV or in books. The isolation has to be hell. I made sure to give Jien his time, though. Thanks for the help! And yeah, Gojyo's one of those odd guys who may not completely have his own stuff together, but he's still a great parent. And Goku... well, let's just say Goku hasn't put everything in the open yet. Give him time on that, but he's got more in his head than outward appearances suggest!

RodiSquall- … how the HELL did I do that?! No, wait- the real question is WHERE DID THE WAYWARD PHRASE COME FROM? I must have accidentally highlighted it, moved it into the middle of the word, and not noticed it, meaning the clause is missing from somewhere else. I don't... I just don't... As for the sassy dragon, Hakkai's had bigger things to worry about. Hakuryu's fine, though, he can take care of himself! (He'll be back next chapter.) And of course, Hakkai would never kick Gojyo's ass for lying to him or hiding things from him- they're too good of friends for that. As for me, it's definitely teatime, closely followed by nap time. (Still getting used to the 3 AM wake up calls at the bakery.)

Dragon77- Your wish is my command!

Without further ado!

Disclaimer: Still not mine!

* * *

**13: Love Through the Glass**

Jien yanked his scarf tighter around his mouth as he stalked through the dark city streets. In the wee hours of the morning, the lamps were usually kept lit, but with the entire street on quarantine, the patrolmen hadn't even bothered. He had last walked this path ten days before, under the watchful eyes of the darkened windows, to the familiar bulletin board. Most of the notices had been blown away by the wind, neglected, but a few remained, and his buried under the bulk of them. He filtered through and found it still there, unsigned, with no response attached. He sighed. "Did that idiot forget?"

He made his way deeper into the city, towards the market streets and the flower shop on the corner. He froze up when he saw the yellow tape and white fliers covering the house. "Son of a shit." He crept closer, reading the notices on the door and windows, and tried to peek inside the big bay window. The few flowers that had remained in the case were half-wilted- not from neglect, only age. He slipped, like a thief, up around to the fire escape and climbed up to the second floor windows. Then, he edged around on the scaffolding to the window he knew to be Gojyo's. He could see Gojyo through the window under the raised blinds, sitting up in his bed beside a dim lamp, shaking and shuddering as he stared at the wall. Blood stained his collar and the front of his shirt, his face was pale, and he was wheezing and breathless. Jien felt a pang of sympathy, and he tapped on the window. Gojyo's eyes immediately shot towards him.

"Hey, little bro, you don't look so hot. You gonna be okay?" He didn't speak too loud, hoping the neighbors couldn't hear but that Gojyo could. Gojyo took a few more deep breaths, trying to get air. His pupils were dilated, his gaze distant. Jien tapped again. "Bro?"

Gojyo had no idea what the six headed, purple-scaled, meter-long-teeth and nails monster at the window wanted with his nipples, but he had no intention of finding out. Unable to find any words that could even approximate 'Get away from me,' he discovered only one word in his vocabulary that could even begin to describe the situation:

"WAAAAAAUUUUGHH!" He screamed as loud as he could, flattening his back to the headboard. Jien nearly dropped his grip on the sides of the window as Gojyo pointed and shook his hand at him, yelling aloud.

"Bro, shh, shh, it's me!" Jien tried to whisper, though he realized it a futile action- even if he could be heard through the window, Gojyo would not hear him over his own screaming. Hakkai rushed into the bedroom, as Gojyo continued to point at the window and shout. Hakkai seemed to ignore what he was indicating and yanked the quilt off the bed and wrapped it around Gojyo's shoulders, then compressed it around him from behind. Gojyo struggled against him, still screaming, though now he was saying something Jien couldn't make out. Then, Hakkai turned his head to stare out the window, and directly at him. Hakkai's jaw fell, and even Jien could see what he was saying:

"There is someone-" But before he finished the thought, Jien saw the shift on his face from fear to rage. He rushed from the bed for the window, and Jien lost his grip. He had just enough forethought to kick back against the wall, and before he could think any further, landed flat in his back on a pile of trash. He groaned, as the impact rattled him from the back up.

"Please, please, let nothin' be broken..." he groaned to himself. He tried to get up, but the pain wrenched him right back down. He flexed his toes, enjoying the brief satisfaction that they could still move, but still he couldn't get up- _yup, somethin's not in place._ Then, a shadow loomed over him, and Jien looked up to see Hakkai glaring down at him over the edge of a paper mask.

"You-" He started, then dropped down to his knee beside him and yanked the scarf away from his mouth. Jien flinched- he knew, knew, knew that this violated any trust Gojyo might have had for him, not to mention any chance he had of keeping his relationship with his nephews. First and foremost, however:

"Please don't kill me." He dragged an anxious palm down his face.

"You can't just knock like a normal person?" Hakkai sighed with relief, steam escaping the sides of the mask. He pressed his fingers on the sides of Jien's collarbone, and Jien felt a weird tingling down his spine mixed with the relief. "And here I thought we had some bandit trying to rob us while we were at our worst..." He withdrew his hand. "You'll need to go easy after a fall like that, but that should have realigned everything."

"How long you known I been comin' around?" He forced himself to sit up, wincing as his vertebrae shifted back into place, and Hakkai sat back on his heels.

"I figured it out before he did." Jien could see the upturned corners of his lips under the mask, as he settled himself in a kneel against the street. Jien crawled off the trash and sat with his hands behind him as his bones continued to settle. "The children are not here, if that's what you were looking for. Yohei got over his whooping cough three days ago."

"No, I'm looking for Gojyo- whooping cough?" Jien winced, and scratched the back of his head. "Glad the little guy made it. Guess hanyou ain't immune, but are we?"

"Seems so, yes. I don't like taking the risk, though, so I'd really best get back inside." He stood up, brushing the snow off his pants. "If you want to speak to Gojyo, try back in a few days."

"Do you need anything?" Jien slouched, unable to meet Hakkai's eyes. Hakkai seemed perplexed, tapping his chin and cocking his head, as Jien gruffly added, "He's my baby brother, I gotta do somethin'."

"We're currently being taken care of by the kindness of the taxpayers and of Keiun temple. Your brother is going to be fine."

"The medicine's gotta be expensive."

"Not prohibitively so. Money will be tight for a bit, but we'll manage." Hakkai offered Jien a hand. "Please don't worry. He's in good hands."

"Right." Jien lowered his eyes, ignoring Hakkai's gesture. "So, uh, what the hell even happened just now?"

"Erythromycin causes psychotic reactions in some. Yohei had some mild ones as well, but Gojyo's got it rough." Hakkai glanced away. "Besides that, he seems to be having some, shall we say, difficulties when I touch him during these episodes, but it's the most reliable way I have of calming him down."

"Fuckin' hell... He was talking to you. What did he tell you?" Jien got his hands under him and got up to his feet.

"He said something about not wanting 'it' to eat his tits." Hakkai nudged his monocle back up his nose, cheeks ablush. Jien snorted into his palms. "I tried to tell him, 'you don't have those, there's nothing there,' but turns out, there you were."

"Well, shit." Jien palmed his face again. "Look, Gojyo thinks our meetings are happening in secret, I don't think he wants you or Loverboy to know."

"Loverb- ah." He giggled as he got Jien's meaning. "Your secret is safe with me." Hakkai smiled, turning his shoulders fully towards Jien. "You did something unpleasant to him while he was carrying the boys, but while Sanzo may only remember that you have hurt him, I remember all the times you have saved him- and us, for that matter." He held a hand out to Jien. "So, really, I don't think of you as a former enemy- you're a friend I haven't had much chance to get to know yet. Besides that, we have our alliance as uncles to two wonderful young men. So..."

Jien took Hakkai's hand and shook it, and wrapped his other hand around Hakkai's. "You are the most understanding dude I have ever met. No wonder Gojyo trusts you."

"Aha, well, that's kind of you." Hakkai let his more familiar, plastic smile return to his face. "Do be sure to wash those hands before you have any other human contact." He withdrew his hand from Jien's grip. "Check back in a few days. I need to get back to him."

"Yeah, go, go." Jien yanked his scarf back up. "Thanks for everything, Hakkai." He turned on his heel and started on his way back out of the city. Hakkai watched him go, then retreated inside.

He fixed the quarantine tape behind him and returned to Gojyo's bedroom, where Gojyo had clutched the blanket around himself and was pouring sweat in rivulets down his forehead and through his hair. "It's gone, Gojyo. No more monster." He sat down on the bed beside him, but Gojyo babbled something Hakkai couldn't make out in a language that may or may not have existed. He tried to put his arm over Gojyo's shoulder, but the moment his sleeve touched the blanket across Gojyo's back, Gojyo shrank down and away from him, putting his chin between his knees. He sighed. "Though I suppose when anything can be the monster, there will always be one." Gojyo started to cough, and Hakkai quickly whipped a tissue from the nearby box and held it out under his mouth. "You have too much to get better for, you know that?"

Gojyo didn't seem to hear him, already far away in the recesses of his own psyche. Hakkai managed a little smile- Jien's visit probably would have been wasted. He glanced out the window, wondering where or when Jien might show up next, but far more worried about keeping Gojyo in the here and now.

* * *

At the temple, Sanzo had experienced relative success at adapting his routine for Eiji into a routine for both twins. The main difference was that Sanzo now had two bars of soap in his pocket, one engraved "Yo" and the other "Ei." Yohei wasn't quite at perfect health- he still coughed and wheezed here and there- and as such he didn't seem to have the strength to argue against Sanzo's rules. In fact, he had almost no trouble at all once he established with Yohei the mealtime rules:

Sanzo had gotten more than a few questioning looks when a second pair of little eyes began peeping over the side of the table, but before he could get any questions, he put his fist on the table and got all of their attention at once. "This is Yohei." He pointed at the mop of blonde hair beside him. "He was the other infant found with Eiji. He will be here for the next week." He ignored the static-filled glares traveling down the table at him. "Treat him the same as you do Eiji."

"Oh god," one of the monks muttered, putting his head in his hands. Sanzo ignored him, and passed spoons to both children. Breakfast this morning was plain rice, as it often was. Eiji was used to it, and started to munch on his rice. Yohei, however, seemed confused.

"Cereal?" He looked up at Sanzo, eyes already starting to moisten.

"No cereal. Rice. Eat." He leaned closer. "And shh." Yohei whimpered, as Sanzo sat up again and continued to eat. Eiji glanced over at him.

"Better do." He lifted his nose, wearing a tiny, superior smirk. Yohei's jaw fell, and he smacked Eiji's rice bowl away from him.

"Yer a jerk!" Yohei folded his arms, but Sanzo rose and hoisted Yohei up and out. He set him down in the yard directly next to the shared dining hall, shut the door, and returned to his seat. Eiji didn't even have time to react to his rice bowl clattering across the table, far too interested in watching Yohei get punished, until Sanzo sat down beside him and halted the bowl's spinning with a tap from his index and middle fingers.

"Thank you for remaining calm." He set his hand on Eiji's head and tousled his hair. Eiji beamed and started to eat again, but Yohei started to scream from outside. Every single head in the room, save for Sanzo's, turned towards the doors to the outside.

"LEMME IN! LEMME IN! LEMME IN!" The doors rattled as Yohei banged on them and kicked them with all of his might, only ceasing when Sanzo heard him start to cough. Sanzo clenched his fists at the horrible noise, but he slammed his fist on the table.

"Anyone who accedes to his demands will join him out there." Sanzo fixed a glare on each and every monk in turn, and returned to his meal.

Yohei took twenty minutes to calm down, and Sanzo still made him wait the next two minutes before letting him back in. By that point, most of the others had finished their meal, and Goku had taken Eiji elsewhere to play. Yohei, however, was blue in the face and sniffling to keep his nose from running after more than twenty minutes in the late December chill without his jacket. "Hmph." Sanzo realized his mistake when he observed Yohei rubbing his arms and hands for warmth even as he got back inside. "Next time, you'll need your jacket before we eat." Yohei's eyes widened- he understood what that meant- 'You act up, you sit outside until you stop acting up.'

Yohei still had his hiccups here and there, but Sanzo discovered the biggest issue was that now that winter had come into its stride and snow had started to fall, he couldn't take them out and about. He knew they were expecting it, after Eiji whispered something to Yohei in their language, and he had approached Sanzo to ask: "Walk? Park? Slide?" He bounced on his heels as Sanzo looked between him and the snow that was falling outside. Eiji joined him, holding his jacket and shoes, and Sanzo pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He leaned outside, where Goku was helping peel sweet potatoes for the evening meal.

"I need a hand." He held out his Three Aspects Gold card. "I need hats, scarves, and mittens in toddler sizes. Nothing fancy."

An hour later, Sanzo bundled the boys up tight. The park now had a layer of snow covering the slides and swings and jungle gym, but he could at least take them around the block. However, both children were overjoyed at the sight of the falling snow. They jumped around, trying to catch snowflakes, laughing and shouting to Sanzo:

"Is pretty, Papa!" Yohei jumped in a pile of snow, scattering the fluffy flurries everywhere.

"Lookit all the petals!" Eiji pointed at the falling flakes.

"Petals?" Sanzo looked up, but didn't see any flowers. He quickly understood- the snow did look like white flower petals, especially to boys who hadn't seen snow before. "They're called snowflakes." He held his palm flat, and crouched before them to show them. They looked, but could only see the water melted in his palm. "It's just very, very, very cold water, and now it's warm because we touched it."

"Nuh-uh." Eiji lifted his nose, and showed his little smirk. "Water's wet. This not." Sanzo was completely dumbfounded- he had no idea that a toddler could engage in scientific debate, even if his judgment was rather flawed.

"Watch again." He let another flake fall in his hand and held it out, and they watched it melt again.

"Oh! 'Zit raining?" Yohei looked around, confused, and Sanzo narrowed his eyes. He scooped up a handful of snow in each palm and stuffed it under each of their hats.

"Is snow wet now?" He rose to a stand and started to walk away, and the two of them shrieked and jumped and shook their heads to get the snow loose.

"Cold! Cold!" Yohei shrieked, and then gave chase, grabbing a handful of snow and tossing it at Sanzo. Sanzo picked up his pace, and both twins ran after him, throwing wads of snow at him.

"Back here, Papa! Gonna get'cha!" Eiji packed the snow tighter in his hand and threw it again. Sanzo couldn't hold back a chuckle, as his first science lesson turned into their first snowball fight.

It was after the snowfall that Sanzo turned their afternoon walk into lessons. As both boys had shown proficiency at holding crayons, he started teaching them some basic characters from the most common alphabet and very simple words. It was a slog, and their written symbols were hardly recognizable, but as long as Sanzo could hazard a guess at what they were trying to write, he gave them credit and praise. His proudest moment was four days into Yohei's stay, when Eiji proved that he was learning:

"Ei-ji." Eiji approached Sanzo and held up a piece of paper, then pointed at the two characters. Sanzo squinted at them, and Eiji repeated: "Ei-ji!"

"Ei Ji." Sanzo took the paper and chuckled softly, looking it over again. The characters were not the same ones they wrote the names with, but in the basic alphabet Sanzo was teaching them, he had indeed written his own name. "That is very good." He let himself smile, and Eiji beamed back. "But there are different ways, too." He flipped the paper over and scribbled down "Sha Eiji" in the correct characters. "This is how your Daddy does it." He showed Eiji, and Eiji cocked his head.

"Looks like drawing! Says Eiji?" He held the paper up, then tucked part of it into the front of his shirt. "Eiji! Eiji! Eiji!" He rushed off into the hallway, calling and wearing his own name. Sanzo sat back and covered his face to suppress a small laugh, as Yohei looked up from his own paper.

"Yohei?" He held out his paper and the red crayon on it.

"Sha Yohei." Sanzo accepted them and wrote it out. Yohei took it when he was finished, and beamed.

"Yohei!" He sat back down and started trying to copy what Sanzo had written, and Sanzo sat back and watched, still hearing the sounds of Eiji showing off his name to everyone who would look at him for more than three seconds.

It had been a pleasant week, to say the least. He could only number two difficulties.

The first was that it had been a full two weeks since he'd laid eyes on Gojyo by the end of it. He had made sure to wake earlier than the boys, rousing Goku and leaving him in charge while he was gone, so that he could go to the flower shop by himself and communicate with Hakkai. Hakkai seemed to expect his visit, as the first time he did this, he found Hakkai awake and waiting on the windowsill with a message prepared:

'No change in Gojyo's condition- no better, no worse. He has sent his affection. How are the children?' Sanzo stared, dumb, as Hakkai held the sign and pointed, the smile he usually wore on his face drawn onto his facemask in black ink. He sighed and shook his head, then leaned closer to the window.

"They're fine. They miss him, but I've kept them busy." Hakkai nodded, and wrote his response.

'Excellent. Continue to do so, keep me posted. I'll pass anything and everything along.'

Over the week, Hakkai always greeted him with a smile and a written update of Gojyo's condition, and Sanzo started bringing some of the boys' coloring pages and writing. After receiving these through the mail slot, Hakkai would take them upstairs, and Sanzo would wait. He'd return with hearts drawn on the pages, and post them to the wall behind the cash register with little pieces of floral tape. However, their 'conversations,' as they were, were brief, and Hakkai never gave any solid details. As such, Sanzo could only imagine Gojyo's condition, or how he was coping with the medicine and if he still had hallucinations. He would have asked directly, but found himself too anxious of the answer.

The other difficulty was an unexpected guest on the sixth day of Yohei's stay. The morning had started as it always had- taking both boys into the group shower, one under each arm, and wrestling both of them into getting lathered, rinsed, and dried. Getting them dressed was a new adventure with Yohei involved:

"No." Yohei folded his arms at the shirt Sanzo was offering, wiggling his socked toes against the tatami mats. Goku was already getting Eiji dressed on the bed, but Yohei didn't have Eiji's indecision when it came to selecting clothing. Sanzo wasn't even trying to offer a choice, instead doing the same as he did with Eiji and selecting a shirt. However, Sanzo had made an error on the first day- when Yohei had refused that shirt, Sanzo had offered another. Now, it was a matter of course that Yohei expected to be offered every single shirt Sanzo had for him before letting Sanzo dress him in one of them. Today, however, that last step wasn't happening. Sanzo was crouched on the floor beside him as he went through the shirts again, laying them out and pointing at each one in turn. "No, no, no, no, no." Yohei crossed his arms tight.

"You don't want any of these." Sanzo scowled, and Yohei edged back, still keeping his arms against his chest. "You won't wear anything?"

"Nope!" Yohei smiled, as if to say 'Now you get it.' Sanzo rubbed his right temple- he could feel the vein there starting to throb.

"It's cold, and you still have a cough. You need to wear something on your body." He rose to his full height and glared down at Yohei. "What do you want to wear?"

"That!" He pointed at Sanzo's robe. Sanzo was taken aback, and took hold of one of the folds of the robe near his waist.

"You want to wear this?"

"Ooh!" Eiji sat upright. "Me too!" He yanked the shirt he was wearing off and ran towards Sanzo. Sanzo looked helplessly to Goku.

"Do you know if we have any robes in child sizes?"

The entire residency of the temple were stunned to see Sanzo being followed by two very small monks. They could see the irritation plain in his face, the wrinkles between his eyebrows and on his cheeks highlighting his frustration. The boys, however, were having a grand time imitating the monks around them, folding their hands and imitating Buddhist chants, then giggling to themselves. He couldn't scold them- he was absolutely certain they wouldn't understand why he was frustrated, since after all, they were only doing what the adults were doing. However, he did see that at least a few of the other monks were openly smiling as the children toddled past while Sanzo made his rounds, and caught some of them out of the corner of his eye chuckling to one another about the odd little spectacle.

Sanzo finished the temple's business, at least for the morning, and went to lead the boys out of the temple for a brisk walk around the snow-lined block, between the two gingko trees that lay dormant for the winter. However, a familiar shadow waited beneath one of them, and Lord Akio rose to his feet as Sanzo approached. His prayer beads were wrapped around his wrist, and he put on his best diplomatic smile as Sanzo halted, holding his hand at his side to stop the boys from passing him.

"Lord Sanzo! It's been too long." Akio lowered his head, then glanced around him to the children. "My, are those your wards? I hadn't heard they'd taken up residence here."

"They have not. They are visiting." He glanced down, as both boys leaned around him to take in Akio- the black robe, the long, neat hair, a scholar's hat atop his head.

"I see." He turned his peaceful smile to the boys, and waved with his fingers.

"Papa, whozzat?" Yohei asked, as Eiji ducked behind Sanzo. Sanzo tilted at his waist towards them to answer;

"He's the big boss of our city and all the land around it. Be polite."

"'Papa,' hm?" Akio clicked his tongue. "What interesting clothes. Will they be taking vows?" He took a few ginger steps closer and bowed at the waist to look them over.

"Hmph." Sanzo waved the boys back from him, and Yohei hid behind his legs with Eiji. "They may, they may not- they will make that choice of their own volition when they are old enough to commit to it. To be frank, I never took the vows myself- I'd rather simply raise them to be good people without forcing them into my beliefs."

"Hmm." Akio stepped back, as the boys whispered to one another in their nonsense language. "Well, they've grown taller, at least." He fixed his gaze on Sanzo. "It is my understanding that the plague outbreak is in a downswing, so I returned to ease the new registration regulations."

"New regulations?" Sanzo let a small frown crease his lips.

"Yes." Akio reached into his pants pocket and withdrew a newspaper and a folded missive from the Emperor. "It seems the number of unregistered youkai is on the rise, so we're implementing harsher penalties for either refusing or avoiding registration." He offered the newspaper to Sanzo, pointing out the article on the crime wave alleged to be stemming from unregistered youkai and hanyou. "There'll be a much more enthusiastic roundup effort to ensure as many of them come as possible, and I've instructed local magistrates to engage in the occasional random registration check. Punishment will also be harsher for the unregistered." Sanzo frowned as he finished the article- the word 'alleged' still stuck out to him. Akio offered the emperor's letter. "Here's the orders. You will, of course, assist me."

"Unfortunately, my first duty is to my young wards." Sanzo glanced behind him to the boys, but Akio was undeterred.

"Whatever happened to that halfbreed you handed them off to before?"

"He's quarantined." Sanzo bit back the argument at Akio's slur-_ It would not do to argue with a nobleman._

"A pity." Akio sighed, and wiped his brow. "Well, the registration will not start for two days, so you have time to make alternate arrangements. Besides that, it is my understanding that the two of them have both been consistently registered as it stands, so if they must be here, then it's more convenient for them. I suppose you were headed out on some business?"

"Exercise. Come along, gentlemen." Sanzo turned, waving the children on, and passed by Akio down the steps towards the city below without another word. He pocketed the newspaper and the letter, then folded his hands behind his back. The children bounded down the steps in little jumps, but followed behind him like a pair of black-feathered ducklings, their tiny robes still a size too big and swishing around them.

_"I'll worry as I come to it. That's how Gojyo would do things, anyway."_ He tried to push his worries back, focusing on the cheerful noises the children made as they tromped along behind him through the snow. _"But then again..."_

He wasn't certain where his feet were leading him as he meandered along through the city, still thinking, always thinking. _"Alternate arrangements. What would I do if I had to take care of them all on my own for the rest of their lives? I'm fine at the moment, but only because I'm not so busy. When I am, then I have no time for them." _He heard Yohei giggle something to Eiji, heard snow hitting the ground behind him. He glanced, and saw Eiji yanking on a tree-branch slung low with piles of snow. He moved to stop them, until the snow all dropped off in a lump and fell around them. The boys squealed with laughter, and Sanzo sighed. _"They need attention, they're young. Goku is helpful, but he's not their father, more like an older brother. And in the case that I would need to make alternate arrangements, that would mean that Gojyo would have to be-" _He muted the thought, and continued on his way down the road. _"I suppose, even if something were to happen to Gojyo, Hakkai would... but what if both of them... I shouldn't think about such things." _He sighed again, and Yohei jogged a few steps forward.

"Somethin' wrong, Papa?" He cocked his head. Eiji rushed up on his other side. The boys had to take two steps to keep up with each stride of his, but he deliberately slowed his pace to let them walk at his sides.

"It's nothing." He let them get a step ahead of him, watching their little backs, but they still glanced up over their shoulders at him. "I'm just glad we're all out together."

"Think Daddy will like dress?" Eiji grabbed the corners of his robe and lifted them.

"It's a robe, Eiji-" He held his tongue for a moment, then asked the contentious question; "Does Papa really wear a dress?"

"Robe?" Eiji looked to Yohei, and Yohei nodded.

"Robe."

"No, Papa wears robe." Eiji smiled back at Sanzo. "Dresses like this." He spun around, and the bottom of the robe flipped up slightly around his knees, and Yohei laughed and clapped.

"That is the only reason you wanted to wear that." Sanzo put his hand over his face and let a soft chuckle cross his lips. _"If worst comes to worst, I'll leave the temple if I must. I can't lose them, after all- they make me feel..."_ He couldn't think of the right words to use, but was distracted when Eiji yanked on the side of his robe.

"Look!" Eiji pointed across the street, and Sanzo realized that his feet had led him to the flower shop, and both Eiji and Yohei had stopped to look in the big front window. Sanzo saw what they saw, and took each boy's hand and rushed across the street. Hakkai and Gojyo were both in the shop, standing in front of the cash register and looking at the wall. Hakkai was still wearing a mask, and Gojyo was wearing pajama pants and looked more than a little pale and wan, but he was upright, and based on his and Hakkai's gestures and motions, having a cogent conversation. He did notice Hakkai reach for Gojyo's shoulder, but he stopped himself and Gojyo moved before he could touch him.

"Well, it seems your father is back on his feet." He folded his hands behind his back. "Let's not-"

"DADDY!" Eiji pounded on the window, and Yohei did the same.

"Daddy, we're home!" Yohei hollered, knocking in unison with his brother, and Sanzo rubbed his palm over his eyes. Gojyo looked up, eyes bright like a dog who'd heard a can opener, and he rushed to the window and vaulted onto the sill.

"Hey guys!" Sanzo could faintly hear him through the glass, but it was loud enough, and his smile spoke volumes. Gojyo pressed his nose to the window near their hands, his hands beside them. "You havin' fun with Papa?"

"Daddy, wanna come in!" Yohei put his hands over one of Gojyo's.

"One more day, buddy- Daddy'll come and get you once the doctor says he's allowed outside." He put his forehead on the glass. "But is Papa's house fun?"

"Kin'a." Yohei shrugged. Gojyo chuckled, and looked at Eiji.

"How you holdin' up, Ei?"

"Miss Daddy and Uncle, but is okay." Eiji tried to reach for Gojyo through the glass, but ended up pressing his hands over Gojyo's. Sanzo glanced behind him at the others wandering down the road- it was a rather quiet afternoon, but there were still a few people out and about. This may have been why Sanzo's insides felt cold when Gojyo looked to him.

"Hi there." Gojyo pulled his legs up onto the sill and sat with his legs crossed. Sanzo glanced behind him one more time, and nodded to acknowledge him. He could see the deep bags under Gojyo's eyes- a familiar visage at this point.

"You haven't been sleeping." Sanzo took a step closer so he wouldn't have to shout to be heard. "Are you still on that awful medicine?"

"Just 'til tomorrow." Gojyo rested his chin in his hands, his elbows on his knees. "It, uh, hasn't gotten easier. I'm about four hours out from my last dose, so I'm pretty lucid right now." He grinned sheepishly at Sanzo. "I, uh, found something that helped, though."

* * *

Four days ago, Gojyo had been hallucinating a hellscape traveling the red folds of his bedspread, watching armies of skeletons marching up his legs and around his waist around lava floes that seemed to be pouring from a gaping wound in his heart. He wheezed through his panic, his heart racing, his mind a blur. He kept trying to remind himself: _"It ain't real, it ain't there, it's in my head, it's the medicine-"_ but he could feel each tiny, bony footprint on his thighs, and he could feel the hot blood pouring down his chest. He tried to look around for Hakkai, sure he was there, but he couldn't see him. He could only see the horrible smiling from every corner. Even what he was certain was the window looked like an inferno closing in on him, the sun itself ready to swallow him whole. He felt something on his shoulder, and wanted to scream as his every synapse reacted: _It's gonna hurt me, it's **him**, it's that monster, he's making me dream all this- "It's the medicine, it's not there, it ain't real!" _He covered his eyes, he curled into the fetal position. He started coughing as his legs compressed his chest, and blood rushed up from his lungs and onto his shirt. He thrust his legs back out, unable to even comfort himself, and stared at the thing that seemed the least dangerous- the inferno.

_"It looks like it's coming closer, but it's just there, it's not moving."_ He wheezed his breath back into him. _"It's daylight, isn't it?"_ As he focused on the sunlight outside, the rest of the hallucinations faded into the back of his mind. _"Didn't Goku used to say that Sanzo was his sun?"_ And the thought stuck. He could feel Sanzo's embrace in the warmth, his soft breath against the back of his neck and his soft, slender hands clenched into fists against his back, and his own heartbeat on his chest.

Hakkai came back into the room with a bowl of soup, to see Gojyo staring at the window. "Well, it has been about an hour. Have the monsters gone away?"

"For th' moment," Gojyo slurred, not looking away from the window. He looked down at his lap, and could see his own hands. He felt another hand over his, and could see Sanzo on his other side. Sanzo smiled at him- _smiled_- and leaned close to Gojyo's ear.

"Why not eat?" His imagination whispered. "You need to eat."

"Yeah, I need to eat." He tilted his head slowly towards the nothing standing at his side. Gojyo could almost clearly see the bowl of broth land in front of him. Hakkai cocked his head- Gojyo's speech did not sound natural to him.

"Are you hearing things I can't hear?"

"Yeah, prol'ly. But it's okay." Gojyo smiled- he could feel Sanzo patting his shoulder as he took up the spoon. "I think I got a handle on it now."

* * *

"You actually harnessed your own psychosis." Sanzo rose his eyebrow, lips thin, and Gojyo beamed and nodded.

"I just needed a focus, and I was good." He turned away for a moment, coughing softly into his hand, then looked back to the window. "It kinda helped, knowing you were sorta there."

"Good." Sanzo put his hand on each child's shoulder, as they still jumped up and down on the sidewalk to try and get closer to Gojyo. "You're feeling better, then?"

"More and more all the time." Gojyo nodded, though Sanzo noticed his head bobbing. Hakkai came forward and reached for him, but Gojyo brushed him off. "I'm finally getting a really good look at all the pictures- and their writing. That's really somethin', isn't it?"

Sanzo had a moment of inspiration, and looked down at Eiji. "Eiji, show Daddy who you are."

"Ei ji?" Eiji cocked his head, and Sanzo nodded. Eiji breathed on the glass, then traced the basic characters that spelled his name onto the glass. "Ei ji!" Gojyo beamed, delighted, and leaned forward to kiss the window just above the condensation. Eiji squealed back.

"I got a little genius on my hands. How about Yo?" He looked over to Yohei, who slouched. He fogged the glass and scribbled something that didn't mean anything at all.

"He's still working on it." Sanzo patted Yohei on the back. Yohei stuck his thumb in his mouth, lowering his eyes, but Gojyo smiled and kissed the glass above where Yohei had written.

"He did a good job." He sat back, but Hakkai leaned forward insistently, speaking through the mask, but Sanzo could just hear him:

"Gojyo, you've been out of bed long enough."

"How long is long enough?" Sanzo interjected, and Hakkai looked up at him.

"About half an hour." Gojyo answered, and turned a sideways glare to Hakkai. "Though I've been in bed most of the last freaking week and I'm startin' to get restless."

"I let you move when you're well enough, but..." Sanzo strained his ears, but couldn't hear the rest of what Hakkai said, up until he heard the word, "shaky." Gojyo rolled his eyes and pushed Hakkai off.

"Shit, man, I gotta get back to being a Dad tomorrow. I need to get my strength back." He sighed, and scratched the back of his head as Hakkai continued to tug on his sleeve. "Fine, fine." He pressed his hands near the children again. "Daddy loves you guys, you know? Bring more pictures. Bring all of the pictures."

"I think I'll keep some, if you don't mind." Sanzo folded his arms.

"Nope, I mind. All the pictures for Daddy." Gojyo smirked, and slid off the sill. Sanzo rolled his eyes, but tried not to smile. "You guys get goin'. I'll be there tomorrow to pick them up." He leaned closer to the boys. "Love you!"

"Love you Daddy!" Both boys chorused back, and Gojyo grinned. He glanced up at Sanzo, and mouthed;

'You too.' With that, he turned away from the window and stumbled towards Hakkai. Hakkai moved to catch him, but he got his feet under him and straightened himself up. Sanzo could tell they were talking again, Gojyo folding his heads behind his head and moving towards the stairs. He seemed less than steady, and Sanzo wondered if he was really all there.

_"Time will tell."_ He looked back to the boys, and reached down to take their hands again. "Daddy's much better. We'll see him tomorrow. Say bye-bye."

"Bye-bye, Daddy!" Eiji waved at the window. Gojyo glanced around and waved back, grinning. In the shadow of the stairwell, he looked even more exhausted. Yohei waved as well, but looked up at Sanzo.

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow." Sanzo held both of their hands firm and continued on their walk. "Once more around the block, and then back to our drawing lessons."

At least it was a worthwhile trip- it took his minds off of his worries, at least. And yet, it brought up new ones:

_"I wonder where his mind really is sometimes."_

* * *

The next morning, Sanzo was leading Goku, Eiji, and Yohei out of the temple with all the boys' supplies loaded in an extra crate- the same walk he'd take a week before, but with one more child in tow. He could already see Akio directing monks and some government clerks in setting up queue lines and desks, toting around stacks of paper and boxes of film, but tried to put the coming ordeal from his mind. He reached the stairs, and stopped. Gojyo was waiting halfway down the slope, a cigarette in his mouth, smoke rising, and a wide smile on his face.

"Great minds think alike. I just got here." Gojyo tossed the cigarette aside and stomped it into the stone. Sanzo stared at him, stunned. He was still swaying on his feet, hair out of place and eyes dark with weariness, but he was clearly lit up just by being near his children.

"You were cleared already?" Sanzo folded his arms, holding one hand to stay the children behind him.

"Doc came around last night after dinner. Said to stay off my feet one more day, and I'm cleared." He grinned, and took a step up towards them. "'Kai's boiling everything now, he's been at it since last night, and we already threw out everything we can't disinfect. The house is clean. I'm healthy- mostly."

"Dude." Goku leaned around the crate in his arms. "You just got over a disease affecting your lungs, and you were smoking already?"

"It's been like two weeks, I was achin'!" Gojyo laughed. "Come on, let me see my babies." He crouched, and both boys rushed past Sanzo and threw themselves onto Gojyo. He caught them, leaning into them to keep his balance, and rested his chin between their shoulders. Sanzo harrumphed to himself and descended the stairs one by one to join them, as Gojyo held them tight. The dark circles under his eyes seemed to lighten already. "I was aching for this, too. My little guys..." He pivoted on his heel and sat on the stairs, keeping the boys to his chest.

"They've been good. I'll tell you everything at the house." He reached into his sleeve. "Let me tell you now- you're going to want these." He held out the two bars of soap- the engravings had slightly eroded, but were still plainly visible. Gojyo looked, and laughed.

"Oh, _this_ is gonna be a good story. Just tell me how hard I'm gonna need to whoop your ass at the end of it." He stood up, sliding one arm under each boy as they started both chattering about their time at 'Papa's house' into either ear. Sanzo beckoned Goku on, and he chuckled and started to follow.

"Man, weird how a few weeks changed everything." Goku seemed to talk more to himself than anyone else, watching his steps from around the crate and watching the family make their triumphant march back towards the family home as a single unit.

"It's nice," Gojyo murmured over his shoulder to Sanzo. Sanzo rose his eyebrow, and Gojyo smiled a little wider. "Not to have to talk through the glass anymore."

"I'll be thankful never to do that again," Sanzo agreed. "I loathe having to talk that loud." Gojyo laughed again, and Sanzo felt that same familiar warmth that he couldn't yet name.

_"I'll figure it out eventually, just like everything else. For now..." _He walked a little closer to Gojyo, and just like before, all his worries seemed to vanish. That was enough.

* * *

**End Notes:** Guess I never did get around to introducing our new arrival... next time, promise! Well, not _next_ time- next week, we have an omake, and the week after that, we begin another mini-arc! Our next mini-arc will be the Lightswitch City, and it kicks off in two weeks. Same fanfiction time, same fanfiction website!

Until then, leave a review with thoughts, ideas, suggestions, or hate mail! I do take everything you guys say into account in some way, shape, or form, so feel free to give your input!


	15. Omake 1

**King Rat: Our Kingdom**

**Author Notes:** Does anyone (besides me) remember those old Warner Brother cartoons? Bugs Bunny and stuff? Like, the good ones from the 1950's and 60's? Just me? I hope it's not just me. Because I was watching one of those and had, how you say, inspiration. I also realized I may have made a, shall we say, fatal error when selecting the boys' favorite toys.

Review responses!

RodiSquall- Y'know, I'm pretty sure I saw someone buying scratch-offs somewhere in the manga, but I might be imagining that. And I loved the mental image of the little guys following Sanzo like that, so it had to happen. And... let's face it, if Hakkai were looming over you, what would your reaction be? I'm pretty sure "Don't kill me" would be at the top of my list too! As for Gojyo telling Akio to get laid- well, probably a bad idea, like you said. But there will be some more details about him next time, don't you worry.

Dragon77- I think we all are. You didn't think I'd kill one of the boys, did you? ... don't answer that...

DarkAmberDragon- Hmmm... chapter 37 and chapter 28, respectively! (I'm joking, of course- but don't worry, Yaone will show up eventually, and Sanzo _will_ find out about Jien, one way or another! The real question is which one of them will survive it!)

**Disclaimer: **Nothing's mine- the characters are Kazuya Minekura's, and the original joke belongs to Warner Brothers and Chuck Jones. Ura Sai.

* * *

**Omake 1: Kill the Rabbit!**

"Hey, I thought we lost that thing." Gojyo frowned as he looked down into the boiling pot left on the stove. Goku was reading a comic book at the kitchen table, and Hakkai and Sanzo were out in town with the boys, replacing all the books the family had discarded.

"Lost what?" Goku put the comic book aside as Gojyo took up a pair of tongs and pushed through the last batch of socks and shirts being boiled and yanked up an anemic-looking purple rabbit. "That?"

"It's Eiji's favorite bunny rabbit. I could'a swore we lost that at the market like a month ago." He let the water drip out of the rabbit's extremities, then put on a pair of oven mitts and started wringing it out. "I guess I forgot we lost it in the rush, but I bet he's been missin' it."

"If you lost it at the market, how'd it get here?" Goku scratched his head and put his comic book down.

"S'a good question." Gojyo set the rabbit down on the counter, and the two of them examined the still hot, sopping rabbit. "It sorta vanished, and now it sorta... appeared."

"Really weird." Goku crouched and prodded the rabbit. "Hey, you know what this reminds me of?" He looked over to Gojyo. "You remember that Ukoku guy?" Gojyo rubbed his chin as he thought.

"Ukoku, Ukoku- OH." Gojyo's eyes widened for a split-second, then narrowed to thin slits. "That dark Sanzo- uh, wasn't he also Dr. Johnny?" He looked to Goku, who nodded.

"Yeah, he was calling himself Ni Jianyi at Houtou Castle! And he had that creepy-ass rabbit!" Goku grinned, but it faded. "So, uh, you said you don't know how the rabbit got back?"

"I thought Ei dropped it." Gojyo scratched his head. "Actually, I don't even remember buying that thing. Ever."

"Ever?" Goku's eyes widened, and he poked the rabbit again. "You... you think... maybe..."

"No, no way, he's dead, he's gotta be dead! Why would a dead guy send a toy rabbit to spy on me?" Gojyo backed away, his shoulders and back tense. Goku began to chew his fingernails.

"You think he's haunting us from his next life?"

"What if the rabbit IS his next life?" Gojyo gasped, backing away from the counter. Goku seized his elbow and looked in his eyes.

**(Suggested Track: "Ride of the Valkyries," Richard Wagner.)**

"Then we kill the rabbit," Goku declared, determination filling his eyes. He clenched his fist, and his Nyoibo appeared.

"Kill the rabbit?" Gojyo didn't even have to think about it, and the shakujou appeared in his hand.

"Kill the rabbit." Goku nodded, and whirled on the plush toy. Gojyo raised his blade.

"Kill the rabbit!"And with that, Goku and Gojyo dove onto the plush toy. Goku knocked it off the counter and into the wall, and kicked it across the room. Gojyo followed it and launched the blade after it, catching it around the neck. He yanked it back towards him, but whipped it towards Goku's face. Goku yelped and threw it off.

"It attacked me!" He stomped it into the floor. "Take this, evil bunny!"

"Yeah, fuck the rabbit!" Gojyo jumped in and started to punch the rabbit in the gut, as Goku ground his foot into the rabbit's face. The rabbit, however, did nothing- it was a plush rabbit. Goku inadvertently kicked the rabbit into motion again, and Gojyo sent the shakujou's blade after it. The rabbit's head landed on the ground beside the stairs to the lower floor, the body a meter away. Goku and Gojyo thrust their fists skyward in victory.

"YEAH!"

That was the exact moment the door opened, with Hakkai and Sanzo carrying grocery bags and Eiji and Yohei in tow. Eiji gaped at the sight of his rabbit's decapitated head, and started to cry. Yohei's jaw fell, but he was quickly distracted by the weapons in Goku and Gojyo's hands, and shouted to Hakkai:

"Daddy's cool!"

Sanzo immediately turned a harsh glare to the two known idiots in the room. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Uh-"

"Um-"

"Daddy and Cuz killed Rabby!" Eiji wailed, and Hakkai got down on his knees to pick the two pieces of the rabbit up. Gojyo and Goku both lowered their hands and weapons as Eiji cried and Yohei tried to jump and grab the shakujou from Gojyo.

"There, there, Uncle will fix it." He whipped a needle and some thread from his sash and set to work whip-stitching the head back on. Sanzo fixed his glare on them again.

"Well?"

"We had no idea where the bunny came from!" Goku started, and Hakkai looked over.

"I bought it for them when they were still quite small. Eiji took to it." He lifted the bunny just out of Eiji's reach, and Eiji jumped for it. "See?"

"We lost it before Yohei got sick!" Gojyo grabbed the back of Yohei's shirt to keep him from grabbing at the blade, and looked sharply back at Sanzo. "How'd it get back here?"

"I recognized it at the temple. It was found at one of our donation stations." Sanzo rose an eyebrow in response. "Now, why exactly are you murdering our son's favorite toy?"

Goku and Gojyo traded a glance, then started at the same time: "You remember that Nii Jianyi guy?"

"See, Ei, good as new!" Hakkai displayed the fixed rabbit to Eiji, who smiled and reached for it, but Sanzo's hand whipped in and snatched it from both of their grasps. Hakkai looked up to him, and saw a dark fire burning behind his eyes.

"No. More. Bunnies." Sanzo's face was fixed in a wrathful glare, and he took the rabbit and marched back down the stairs. The rest of the family followed him out through the store to the back door and into the tiny back yard, and Sanzo nailed the rabbit to the wooden fence behind the house. He took ten paces back, and drew his pistol.

"Sanzo!" Goku gaped. Gojyo took a step forward.

"Kou, what're you-"

"Kill the rabbit!" He unloaded six shots into the rabbit's head, and reloaded. Eiji and Hakkai were dumbstruck, but Gojyo, Goku, and Yohei all cheered. He pulled the trigger six more times in succession, emptied the chamber, and loaded again.

"Kill! The! Rab! Bit!" Goku, Gojyo, and Yohei all began to cheer Sanzo on, and Hakkai knelt down next to Eiji.

"Well, then, how about you come with Uncle back to the market? We'll get you an elephant instead."

"Neffylump?" Eiji's eyes were watering, and he grasped his little hand around Hakkai's. "But Uncle, want Rabby."

"No more rabbits, dear." He took Eiji in his arms and stood up.

"But- Uncle-"

"Don't cry to me. It's not my fault you were born to a pair of psychopaths." He hid the throbbing vein in his forehead as Gojyo, Goku, and Yohei continued to goad Sanzo on. "Let's just stay out of the house until your Papa runs out of ammo."

_BANG! BANG! BANGBANGBANGBANG!_

"Yeah Papa!" Yohei jumped up and down, squealing and thrusting his fists up.

"Kill the rabbit!" Gojyo and Goku cheered together. Sanzo smirked wickedly, eyes wild with rage, and spun the chamber, scattering blanks across the snowy ground. He reloaded again, and aimed.

"Kill the rabbit."

And Hakkai left with Eiji as one unfortunate bunny rabbit took all the brunt of the Sanzo party's grudge with a big, embroidered smile.

* * *

**End Notes:** I swear, if at least one of you did not start singing "Kill the wabbit!" then I don't even... I hope this at least got a laugh!

Next chapter's up next week! Let me know what you thought!


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